Cobb County’s police chief wants to be proactive in stopping youth violence

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Atlanta police aren’t the only law enforcement agency dealing with gang violence.

It’s an issue happening in every single Georgia county.

Channel 2′s Michele Newell spoke exclusively with the Cobb County police chief about gang violence in Cobb.

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“It’s just a sad situation to be honest,” Cobb County police chief, Stuart Vanhoozer, said.

Vanhoozer, is tired of seeing the effects of gang violence.

“The heart and soul of most police officers is to help human beings. When they see young people injured or killed, especially young people that they have dealt with in the past, it hurts those officers,” Vanhoozer said.

A 12-year-old and 15-year-old died from the shooting that happened near Atlantic station over the weekend. Four others were injured.

“For that particular case, since it’s not our case, I really don’t have the specifics of where everybody lives but I do know this. Crime is transient,” Vanhoozer said.

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Gang violence is not just in Fulton County.

“We want them to know that we are ahead of this. You can go to the mall. You can shop. You can have a good time down at the battery,” Vanhoozer said.

“Our gang investigators are busy doing a lot of things,” Cobb County police captain John Knoblach said.

The Cobb County Police Department has a unit dedicated to gang activity and prevention.

“Gang experts at every single precinct that keep an eye on what’s going on in each area of the county.

“While they are investigating ongoing cases they are also spending time in schools,” Knoblach said.

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“We have a robust program on the reaction side. We also have a lot of community programs that we do to try to keep kids out of trouble and keep them on the right path early,” Vanhoozer said.

APD originally reported that some of the kids involved in the Atlantic Station shootings are from Cobb, including the 15-year-old who died Wednesday.

But police say it’s not clear where they actually lived. They aren’t listed in the Cobb County School District system.

Vanhoozer told Newell his team is prepared for any kind of retaliation. It’s something he says they always prepare for when violent crimes happen.

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