Home invasions and burglaries in Piedmont have increased in number this year–the most happening in the last two months.
Eight robberies occurred in Piedmont in February, 16 less than the 24 robberies in January, Piedmont Police Chief Rikki Goede told piedmont.patch.com.
Piedmont has had about ten home invasions in the last five years; unfortunately, four of them were in the past two months said Piedmont Police Department (PPD) Detective George Phifer. Additionally, burglaries in Piedmont have increased to 80 robberies per year.
Piedmont residents Stacy and Andrew Merickel were recently robbed. An intruder entered their garage and stole four high-end bicycles.
Phifer said “information is obtained about what types of valuables are in a house, or because of the location of the residence.” Homes close to major streets or near the Piedmont border might be more likely to be robbed.
In order to improve their home security after the break-in, the Merickels got a sensor for the garage door to let them know inside the house if it is open and are installing an alarm as well.
“The home invasions were scary,” Andrew Merickel said, “and that combined with our robbery makes us feel pretty uneasy, and sad that we have to worry about it. Having someone creeping around at night also makes you feel kind of violated.”
While the Merickels did not come face-to-face with the robbers, senior Allie Tyler faced a home invasion six years ago.
“Two robbers came through the back window where the babysitter was sleeping and tied her up”, Tyler said. “One went in my mom’s room and held a gun to her head, asking ‘Where’s the safe?’. The other went in my sister’s room and held her covers over her head. The babysitter had untied herself and gotten to a neighbor and called the police. [The robbers] were trying to steal a TV when they heard the police.”
Tyler said, “After [the robbery] I was really paranoid about being home alone and a few times I almost called the police or ran to my neighbors house late at night if I heard any noises.”
“People should not expect that they are safe from crime because they live in Piedmont,” Tyler said.
Phifer recommends that residents looking to protect themselves from intruders pay close attention to their surroundings and report suspicious activity to the police. They should take proper precautions in protecting their property, including setting alarms, and turning on lights. Phifer also advises possibly host a neighborhood watch program to raise awareness in the their area.
Goede said the PPD currently employs 28 full-time employees. At minimum, there will be one sergeant and two officers on duty, up to a maximum of five. When fully staffed, PPD deploys special patrol cars to target specific areas. The PPD is currently training two new officers and will also continue hiring.
Phifer said the Piedmont Police have increased patrols in areas that show to be most susceptible and have brought in additional help in the Investigations Department.
“We underestimate how vital teenagers can be to crime prevention,” Goede said. “Sometimes you guys are the ones that are out at 11 or 12 at night and you see those suspicious cars.”
Goede said that for most kids, calling the police is an afterthought, which she hopes to change by promoting a “See something say something” campaign at the high school and middle school once the PPD is at full staffing and can dedicate one officer as the juvenile school resource officer. She said creating this communication between the PPD and the schools is one of her top priorities.
“It’s about teaching kids to recognize when something’s suspicious and calling [the police],” she said. “It’s that awareness of teaching all of you guys for taking some responsibility for our safety, too.”
Sophomore Allen Hosler has attended a Neighborhood Watch meeting and learned a few tips to keeping your house safe as well as helping neighbors in dangerous situations. Hosler said that it is important “to stay informed, and take an active role in restoring a safe vibe to Piedmont.”
Goede advises “The Three L’s”, which are “Light, Locks, and Landscape”.
“Light is to light up your house, to make your house less favorable [to potential robbers],” Hosler said. “Always lock your doors, burglars don’t want to spend more than 60 seconds at a house. And Landscape: don’t have a lot of bushes around your doors that burglars could hide in.”