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FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - Fayette County sheriff’s deputies said they scored success against a crew that was breaking into cars in subdivisions there by arresting five men. However, the sheriff said the problem remained overwhelming for all law enforcement everywhere in metro Atlanta.
Sheriff Barry Babb said homeowners were often making it way easier for these break-in thieves by rewarding them with electronics, money and often guns because the vehicles were left overnight unlocked.
Fayette County said its seen the number of car break-ins increase 89 percent since this year. More thieves are at it and the sheriff said while security lights and cameras were good, simply locking your car was the most effective means of stopping this crime wave.
Last week, Fayette County deputies arrested five men suspected of breaking into cars in a subdivision in the south part of the county. Sheriff Babb said this was a good example of residents and cops working together. Two different people called 911 with news of a suspicious vehicle in their neighborhood. Deputies pulled over the car and found items taken from cars that had been broken into in the subdivision. The sheriff said the five men ranged in age from 17 to 19-years old. They were all facing felony charges.
Locking up your car, not leaving valuables inside it and bringing firearms inside were the three keys, according to Babb.
The sheriff said many victims who have had guns stolen from their cars didn’t have the serial numbers written down. He said the inability for law enforcement to track the stolen gun by serial number could keep those weapons on the street longer.
Sheriff Babb suggested taking a photo of the guns’ serial number and storing it in the cloud or in an email.