COLUMBUS, Ohio -- E-mails to NBC 4 about a rise in crime in the Hilltop area propelled a crime-watch report.
NBC 4's Mike Bowersock DUG DEEPER and talked to both police and neighborhood commissions about the crimes and possible reasons for it.
The Hilltop. It's one of Columbus' oldest neighborhoods and has a population of nearly 60,000.
The area's population is predominately white, and nearly one in four men work in construction.
While it has some of the worst blight in the city, it also has streets of homes with finely manicured lawns, bringing the average home value to nearly $109,000.
And residents, in their own way, are proud of the Hilltop.
"My loyalty to the West Side is all-day 'til I die. Born and raised right here, Ain't going nowhere," resident Mike Smith said.
The Hilltop, though, has seen a recent spike in crime.
Violent crimes continued to remain low in the Hilltop.
Police and the Hilltop Area Commission said it's the burglaries, the petty thefts, that have been on the rise.
A car-audio store on Sullivant Avenue has been targeted. Every window was smashed in for no apparent reason.
"For the last month, my windows got busted twice. All of the windows," Brian Li said.
Two Somali coffee shops also suffered busted-out windows.
A nearby tattoo parlor's windows have been busted five times.
The owner finally gave up and put in something called lexanne glass, which is even stronger than plexiglass.
Police said the number of crews patrolling the area hasn't changed.
There are five patrol cars in the early evening and seven in the later evening.
Police said there are gangs here, and gang graffiti is in nearly every alley.
The recent crimes don't appear to be gang-related, though.
What's the cause, then? It's likely the economy and warmer weather.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
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