FAST FACTS:
- Residential burglaries on the rise in Memphis
- Police beefing up patrols
- Worried residents taking precautions
(Memphis 11/24/2008) - If houses could talk, they would have plenty to say in some Memphis neighborhoods.
And while the houses don't do the talking, people do.
"He said they kicked in the back door, cut all the wires in the attic and he got an alarm system." says Sam Posey of East Memphis.
Neighbors have had their sense of security shattered.
"It's crazy every time I talk to some body there is another burglary. Talk to my sister she tells me there are police all over her neighborhood. Last week somebody else got broken into." says Leslie Ward of East Memphis.
Police say residential robberies are up 13 percent this year.
In the Tillman area they have more than doubled in a year.
"Oh yeah they are doing it. Got the little gangs out here. I don't know, seems like police and things can't deter them." says Roy Blakney of Highland Heights.
Criminals are hitting in the middle of the day.
Police are increasing patrols and putting information at home owners' fingertips.
Cyber Watch is a web-based way of tracking crime. Neighbors can spot trends and track trouble.
To prevent trouble at your home, police say leave lights on when you go out, install dead bolt locks on your doors, and keep your garage door closed and locked.
"I walk into my home, close the garage, then I unlock my car. I would never keep my garage door open and unload my car." says Ward.
Taking your own precautions and watching out for neighbors may be the best way to keep crime down and neighborhoods safe.
