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Release from Americus Police Department

April 21, 2020

The Americus Police Department is currently investigating a series of burglary
attempts where the thieves pulled the electric meter from the building in an attempt to
disable the alarm system, prior to entering the building. The most recent attempt
occurred at a local credit union where the suspect(s) pulled the electric meter and then
tried to break into the ATM. No money was taken, but the ATM was damaged in the
theft attempt.
The police department is asking local businesses to be aware of this practice. In most
of these cases, pulling the electric meter causes the alarm system to send a notice to the
business representative that there has been a loss of power to the system. If the system
battery is in good condition, the alarm should still activate if someone enters the
building. However, we find that it has often been years since the alarm system was
installed and the original battery is no longer functioning. This can cause the alarm not
to activate. We are asking that business managers who receive a loss of power
message when there is no storm or known power outages call 911 and report the alarm
activation so that an officer can be dispatched to check the building.