Break-ins are soaring in south Minneapolis; police to beef up patrols
By Matt McKinney, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
A month later, he had only the remnants of the chain -- his new bike was gone, too.
"The police told me that after this, they would suggest I keep the bike in the house," said Clough, who paid two
The dramatic increase is setting off a stream of complaints from homeowners and small businesses, another blow for a part of the city already reeling from a sharp increase in violent crime, particularly robbery. Burglary can be a leading indicator of broader increases in criminal activity and is a crime that is far more likely to impact and aggravate city residents.
"People are definitely feeling the effects and the impact, and they're wondering what's going on," said
The burglary spree comes as the latest bad news for south
Among the most recent burglaries, thieves are vastly preferring garages over houses, clearing out bicycles, motorcycles and other items.
In one incident, a burglar smashed a car window and used the garage door opener to walk into the garage and nab a bike. On Monday evening, a woman in the 2500 block of
In one recent case, thieves broke into a garage only to get nothing. The garage had already been picked clean by another burglar.
Police do get occasional breaks in some cases.
In June, they broke up a high-end bicycle theft ring in which they discovered 44 bikes stuffed into the basement, living room and attic of a house on
Clough, who had his orange road bike worth nearly
The thief quietly severed a heavy-duty chain that Clough and a hardware store clerk could not break when he was shopping for the toughest lock possible.
Meanwhile,
Police say residents need to ensure that they're doing all they can to deter burglars.
Of the eight burglaries reported to Third Precinct Inspector
To make it even harder to break into a garage, install brackets on the inside of the service door to hold a 2-by-4 across it when it's closed. Even if the lock fails, the door cannot easily be opened with the 2-by-4 in place.
Authorities are beefing up patrols, too. Sullivan said he has directed patrol officers to do "alley sweeps," looking for suspicious persons. The precinct also has done specific patrols targeting areas where they see a pattern of break-ins.
Police cannot do it alone, Sullivan said. He noted that the
"Our best bet in catching these criminals is when they're in the act," he said.
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