Avondale Estates Residents Urged To Make LIfe More Difficult For Burglars

Avondale Estates officials urged a crowd of 120 residents Wednesday night to help stop a rash of burglaries by making their homes more secure and watching out for suspicious persons.

From Jan. 13 to Jan. 23, f, with three of those homes on Majestic Circle.

City Manager Clai Brown said that in each case the thieves entered through a side or rear door, left in about five minutes and made off with electronics, such as laptops, iPads and flat-screen televisions.

"There's a black market now for TVs," Brown said. "We think they know what they're looking for."

Police Chief Gary Broden said he has changed the patrol structure to put more officers on the street. Shifts may overlap and officers are working longer hours and on the days they'd normally take off.

Undercover officers have been deployed, he said.

But Brown said it would take a team effort to stop criminals. He urged residents to become involved in the Neighborhood Watch program.

Said Broden, "Neighborhood Watch is a way of saying be a nosy neighbor."

They said people should not hesitate to call 911 if they see a suspicious person in their neighborhood. Residents should pay attention to their instincts when deciding if they consider somebody suspicious.

Helen Williams believes the crook was in and out of her home in less than five minutes, according to a report from CBS Atlanta.

"Ironically they also took an IPod that is several months old and not functional, only played Christian music," Williams said.