CRIME PREVENTION: On patrol along U.S. 78

Purse-snatchers and thieves might want to think twice before targeting U.S. 78.

A special police patrol funded by businesses on the highway has gotten a little handcuff happy lately.

This month, two of the officers apprehended a man who had snatched a woman's purse at a restaurant and had run behind a nearby motel, said Brett Harrell, executive director of the Highway 78 Community Improvement District.

And last month, officers thwarted a burglary after spotting a man who appeared to be preparing to throw a trash can through a business' window.

A Gwinnett County Police helicopter and K9 units joined the chase, and the suspected thief was detained.

The Highway 78 CID, a self-taxing group of landowners along the highway, is trying to stave off any decline between Stone Mountain and Snellville. For nearly a year now, it has hired off-duty police officers to work six eight-hour shifts a week.

In addition to patrolling the corridor, the officers advise businesses on where to trim back hedges and increase lighting to reduce the chances of any break-ins.

"No matter how good your business is or how good your prices are," Harrell said, "shoppers aren't going to come if they don't feel safe."