Staff Photo by Angela Lewis/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Chattanooga Officer Blake Gibson stops Wednesday to drop someone off at the Community Kitchen. Officers have not been able to patrol as much as usual because of icy conditions.This week’s frozen blast kept criminals off the streets and police cruisers parked, waiting for calls.
A few offenders who braved the weather led police straight to their doorsteps, police said.
Police said they followed the footprints of two burglary suspects who broke into a liquor store in Dalton, Ga., straight to their front door. Sheriff’s deputies said they did the same in the southern part of Catoosa County after an offender attempted a car break-in.
“Snow is causing its own set of problems for a getaway,” said Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier. “It’s something people around here don’t ever think about.”
Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia police say they’ve seen a dramatic dip in crime since the storm hit Sunday night. Calls for violent crimes, burglaries, thefts and other offenses significantly slowed as the snowstorm rolled through.