DeKalb County Police Leads Multijurisdictional Effort to Reopen Intrenchment Creek Park

The DeKalb County Police Department is leading a multijurisdictional task force effort that will implement Phase 2 of the process designed to reopen Intrenchment Creek Park.

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond issued an executive order on March 24 restricting public access to the park and other adjacent county-owned properties due to the discovery of “hidden traps or other devices designed to injure, maim, or cause the death of adults, children, and pets.”

According to DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos, the goals of multijurisdictional task force are to:

• Determine whether any unauthorized person or persons are present in restricted areas, and if so, direct them to leave immediately. Per the executive order, “unauthorized persons entering the properties will be subject to prosecution for criminal trespass and any other violation of law to the fullest extent of Georgia Law.”
• Determine whether there are any unauthorized vehicles in the park and if so, remove all unauthorized vehicles from the restricted areas. Per the executive order, “any owner of an unauthorized vehicle parked on any of the properties will be subject to prosecution for violations of applicable law and the vehicle will be towed and impounded as permitted under Georgia Law.”
• Securing entrances and exits from the property with cement barricades.
• Posting official signs on the properties prohibiting public access to and parking on the properties. Per the executive order, “anyone caught moving, removing, or defacing signs posted by the county on the properties will be subject to prosecution to the fullest extent of Georgia Law.”
• Begin inspecting the park and adjacent county-owned properties for hidden traps or other devices designed to injure, maim, or cause the death of adults, children and pets on the property.

Once DeKalb County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs in coordination with the DeKalb Police Department determines that the park is safe for the public to visit, DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond executive order will be rescinded. 

Who:          

• DeKalb Police Chief Mirtha Ramos
• Multijurisdictional Taskforce Partners
  • Georgia State Patrol
  • Georgia Bureau of Investigation
  • DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office
  • DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
  • Atlanta Police Department
  • Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
  • Dunwoody Police Department
  • Sandy Springs Police Department
  • Georgia Department of Natural Resources
  • DeKalb County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs
  • DeKalb County Sanitation Department
  • DeKalb County Facilities Management Department
  • DeKalb County Fire Rescue
  • Johns Creek Police Department
  • Brookhaven Police Department

What:          

• Implementing the DeKalb CEO’s Executive Order

When:          

• Today, Monday, March 27, 2023,

Where:        

• Intrenchment Creek Park area

Attention media:

For your safety and convenience, DeKalb County Communications Department, along with DeKalb County Police, will have a media staging area available.

           For the location, please contact Andrew Cauthen, communications manager, at 470-553-4408.