More Albanians are fed up with crime - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

By  Stephanie Springer  - bio | email

ALBANY, GA (WALB) –  People in a Northwest Albany subdivision are ready to take back their neighborhood.

They say there's been a rash of break-ins and burglaries in the Merry Acres subdivision and they want it to stop.

Police report that this year there have been only two reported burglaries on Pineknoll lane, but residents say there has been a lot more action. They say thanks to the help of watchful neighbors they have been able to prevent more from happening.

Tim Underwood has lived on Pine Knoll Lane for only a year, but already, he is fed up with the crime in his neighborhood.

"We chose the neighborhood because we thought it was safe. Before I even moved into our house our house was vandalized and broken into."

And just in the last three weeks, Underwood says things have gotten worse.

"Most recently our house has been burglarized or vandalized at least twice, and as far as what neighbors have told us, and those who witnessed it its kids who are stealing bikes and attempting to steal video games and such," he said.

Thursday, Underwood says a group of teenagers broke out the back window of his home in the Merry Acres subdivision. "They broke the window and they were going to go in the house."

But thankfully an alert neighbor called police before anything was taken. "The police officers said had your neighbor not called police, we would have come home to see a lot of stuff missing, and a lot of damage because they would have ripped the TV off the wall and taken whatever was easy to get and ran..."

But Underwood says his home is not the only target in his neighborhood. Jeff Tanner says thankfully thieves haven't targeted his home yet. "Everyone around us has been robbed since we got here..the Underwoods the rallies and the people next to us," he said.

"As soon as we moved in here, we put a privacy fence up because we have so much traffic from people who don't live here, I know."

Several neighbors say they have stepped up security measures. "One thing my wife and I are working on right now is joining a neighborhood watch."

And plan to work together to put an end to the crime. Neighbors want to encourage other neighbors to look out for each other.

• Start a neighborhood watch if your neighborhood doesn't have one
• Report things that look suspicious
• Get to know your neighbors if you don't already
• If you do see something someone who looks suspicious, call 911.
  
  

You might just prevent a crime from happening.

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