Roswell's city council voted Monday, July 27, to pursue a federal grant that would fund police training and enforcement against online and phone-based fraud, a move that follows a string of scam cases costing local residents thousands of dollars in late June and early July.
The resolution, approved on the consent agenda at the council's 7 p.m. meeting at 38 Hill Street, authorizes the city to apply for and accept an FY2026 Local Law Enforcement Grant for Enforcement of Cybercrimes through the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. The program funds local agencies working to prevent, investigate, and prosecute cybercrimes against individuals, including harassment, stalking, extortion, and intimidation carried out by computer or phone.
The grant requires no local matching funds. Under the FY2025 cycle, awards ran up to $700,000 over 36 months; the FY2026 award ceiling has not been publicly confirmed.
Recent fraud hits close to home
The timing tracks with a cluster of reported scams targeting Roswell residents. On June 28, a woman told Roswell police a caller posing as "Officer Carlton Mitchell" of Cobb County pre-trial convinced her to send nearly $2,000 through Apple Cash and Zelle after claiming her son had been arrested. The next day, June 29, a man on Hemingway Lane reported his wife lost $7,000 to a caller identifying himself as "Lt. J. Owens," who told her she'd missed jury duty and would face arrest unless she paid via Apple Cash.
In a separate case in early July, a Roswell-area woman withdrew $4,500 from a local Wells Fargo and overnighted the cash to Florida after a scam caller convinced her the money was needed to protect her bank account, according to an Appen Media report summarized by Patch.
What the grant covers
Eligible uses include training officers and prosecutors on cybercrimes, acquiring investigative equipment, funding victim assistance, and building multi-agency task forces. Applicants must partner with a victim service provider under a formal memorandum of understanding.
The Roswell Police Department, led by Chief James Conroy, is headquartered at 39 Hill Street. In March, after officers shut down an unlicensed senior care home involving financial exploitation of vulnerable adults, Conroy said the case showed "public safety is a team effort." The department's sworn staffing received a $263,000 boost in the FY2026 mid-year budget amendment, approved 4-2 on July 13.
Other council action
The council also approved a contract with The Cool Roofing Co. for the City Hall roof replacement, capped at $2,267,075 with a total project budget of $7 million. The council took first readings on three ordinances, including amendments to the Unified Development Code governing data centers. That first reading follows emergency moratoriums on new data centers imposed January 12, extended March 23, and extended again June 22.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, August 10.
Residents who believe they have been targeted by phone or online fraud can contact the Roswell Police Department at 770-640-4100.
