Property crime up locally

What a difference a year, and a few burglars, can make.

After significant drops in local crime from 2005 to 2006, new data shows that crime was up last year in Ahwatukee Foothills.

Property crimes were up 6 percent even after factoring in a huge 23 percent drop in auto thefts, the second year in a row auto thefts have fallen. Burglaries had been down, but last year jumped back up by 13 percent, from 987 to 1,142. And thefts also rose by 14 percent in 2007.

Last year was a tough one for many area residents thanks to a small handful of criminals who robbed whole neighborhoods.

"These were brazen criminals and they victimized multiple people in a short period of time," said Sgt. Joel Tranter, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department and an Ahwatukee Foothills resident.

Some of the high-profile robbery and burglary sprees included:

- During the fall a couple robbed at least nine homes along golf courses in the Foothills before they were arrested after police received a call from alert neighbors.

- Half-a-dozen drug stores were robbed of Oxycontin, a highly addictive pain reliever, mirroring a city-wide trend that is still unsolved.

- One 16-year-old burglar was arrested with 29 stolen items.

- In March a 15-year-old girl had $3,000 in stolen merchandise that police said she stole from local homes.

- Also in March one neighborhood had two home burglaries and cars stolen by a couple of teens in one evening.

Tranter knows there is no such thing as a "minor" robbery which, for him, makes the rise in burglaries disturbing.

"Typically speaking, a small number of people are responsible for a large percentage of the crimes," said Tranter, who several years ago had to pull his gun as robbers attempted to break down his front door and burst into his home in the middle of the day. "A 13 percent increase, I don't like seeing that."

Tranter pointed out that the best way to combat crime was collectively, with residents and police working together.

"I'll be the first one to ask for help from the community," he said, adding that robbers look for easy targets of opportunity, like:

- Open garage doors during the day and at night, which is an open invitation to a passing burglar.

- Property left unattended, including vehicles running at convenience stores or valuables left in cars.

"Keep your garage door down, put up motion detector lights and join a Block Watch," Tranter suggested. "And if you see something suspicious or out of character, call the police.

"It's unfortunate that there is an increase in property crimes, but it doesn't have to stay that way," he said.

For information on how to organize a local Block Watch or tips on how to keep burglars away, visit www.Phoenix.gov/POLICE or call officers Armida Gonzales, (602) 534-2892, or Jared Charley, (602) 534-6534.