Atlanta police chief warns of rising burglaries targeting storage facilities

ATLANTA - The Atlanta police chief has a message for those who plan to rent a storage unit: check on it regularly. 

Burglaries in Atlanta have increased by three percent, and one area seeing a noticeable uptick in criminal activity is storage facilities. These locations are becoming easy targets for burglars due to the lack of constant monitoring, according to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. 

"We are seeing areas where individuals have rented storage units that are being targeted," Schierbaum said.  

This summer, the Atlanta Police Department made two significant arrests in connection with storage unit break-ins. Officers apprehended two career criminals at Extra Space Storage on Peachtree Valley Road. 

"These two individuals were well-known felons," Schierbaum told members of the Atlanta City Council's Public Safety Committee. "Mr. James Stancil has 34 previous arrests, and Mr. Jared Davis has 35. They seemed intent on leaving the areas they were in and coming to Atlanta to start breaking into storage units." 

Both suspects were found with narcotics, burglary tools, and masks when they were arrested. Schierbaum noted that Davis was also involved in a separate theft at Space Shop Self Storage nearby. 

Schierbaum emphasized the importance of vigilance for anyone renting a storage unit, urging renters to check on their belongings regularly. 

"I would encourage anyone that’s listening to this report, if you have items that are being kept at a storage unit, just check on them periodically," Schierbaum said. "The longer the time that passes before the burglary is discovered, the harder it is for us to catch who may be responsible." 

While many storage units are equipped with cameras, Schierbaum pointed out that they don’t catch everything, leaving renters vulnerable to theft.