BEXLEY, Ohio -- A local community is reacting to a rash of burglaries and thefts by closing garage doors, sending out fliers and increasing patrols.
A security light is a new addition to Alice Levitin's Bexley home. She said it's a necessity nowadays, NBC 4's Lauren Diedrich reported.
"You just feel violated. You don't understand why someone would go into your garage," Levitin said.
A few months ago, thieves stole Levitin's GPS device and XM Satellite Radio from her car, which was parked in her garage. She said the thieves snuck in through a broken door, but it wasn't the first time she was a victim of crime.
"We had a snow blower stolen out of our garage," she said.
Bexley Police Chief Larry Rinehart said Levitin isn't the only one. In fact, he said, similar types of crime are increasing in his typically quiet city.
Rinehart said that the crime is occurring mostly near the northern and southern boundaries.
In 2008, there were approximately 600 reports of petty theft.
"The concern we have is that (there are) predators walking around our homes, looking in our garages, in our back yards. That's a very real concern," Rinehart said.
For now, Rinehart's answer is to have night patrol officers look for garages that are open and close the doors.
Fliers are also distributed on the windshields of cars that may have items inside. The fliers warn the drivers that the items inside their vehicle could attract thieves.
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