The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
More break-ins at businesses over the weekend match the modus operandi of other recent burglaries in the area, police say.
A Brazilian restaurant and pet care store near the Virginia Zoo and Lafayette Park, targets of a burglar in late December, were hit again Friday night when glass windows were smashed at each business. About 1 a.m. Sunday, a burglar used a concrete block to smash a door at the nearby Riverview Coffee Parlor in the 4100 block of Granby St.
A few hours later, the same thing happened two miles away at a Rite Aid in Wards Corner, in the 7600 block of Granby St.
"The old proverbial smash and grab," said Master Police Officer Chris Amos, a department spokesman.
Without giving away details, Amos said the police are working on it.
"It's definitely on the front burner," he said.
While break-ins happen regularly across the city, the recent ones near the zoo hurt multiple small, independent businesses.
Alice McCoy, owner of the coffee shop, said she's never been burglarized in nine years of business.
The burglar grabbed her cash register - but it was empty.
Anyone with information on the crimes can earn a reward by making an anonymous report to Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (562-5887).
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
SMASH AND GRAB
I know this might not be ideal for the area but, why not invest in roll down cages for the business? Its sad it has to come to that but apparently it is the sign of the times...
What a shame...
These are obviously people who don't care about the community. If this continues, no new businesses will want to open there. It's really sad, because that area of Granby street has always had the potential to become a rich cultural center for the city. There's so much history there that most people aren't even aware of. But some small-midned folks want to sabotage any progress in that community at any cost - and for what?
REsponse times
I keep no abusable drugs or cash in my office when we are closed, and there is nothing in there worth stealing unless someone wants to carry out a dental chair. Our data is backed up offsite every evening and I have a fully monitored alarm system at over a grand a year.
And all those precautions are useless if police response time is too slow to discourage thieves.
I wonder how many police officers could be put into service with the money that will go to subsidize light rail or will be "invested" in public/private partnerships instead of core government services?
Police and fire protection is the FIRST duty of city government, and they should not be spending a dime on anything else until they get that right.
News-worthy story
Yes, this is important news. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they're also responsible for more than 75% of all new job creation in this country.
For 25 years, I've owned my own business and every dollar counts. It's more than the theft of equipment and the theft of dollars, there's also the expensive repairs that may be required now.
Most small businesses have minimal insurance with high deductibles.
Lastly, there's the expense of security systems which may now be needed, and they aren't cheap. These expenses can be enough to topple a small business that's hanging on by its fingernails.
I had a store where somone
I had a store where somone broke through the front door glass, I had it replaced with lamenated glass. The second break-in they took a tire iron and hit it at least 14 times, the glass shatered but remained in place and they were not able to get in. Little did they know the glass in either side was not lamenated.
No one said criminals were smart.
I'm suprised there was one that determined, 14 times.
14 indentations in the
14 indentations in the glass.
Hillbilly Burglar Alarm
One of the major hardware outlets has an infrared sensor and base station for about $60. You can order more sensors on-line. Sensors are 9 volt radio signaled, so you can place them around the house. Base sta beeps when someone passes by outside. Locate in inconspicuous place, above animals. Also, a baby monitor works well to hear noise from a distance such as a back porch/yard. A baby monitor is what was used by the business owner during the break in Suffolk that did not go well for the perp. Install motion lights.
Media reports crime is down, others say crime is being under reported.
Until the economy improves, be more prepared. Form a Neighborhood Watch, officers will attend your meetings and address your issues and do more patrols.
These Criminals - Need Some Real Hard Time
I am confident the police will catch them soon! They are hardworking men and women who take their job seriously.
It's easy to criticize the police... try a day in their shoes.
is this really news?
is this really news? robberies around the zoo. its just another day in norfolk. im sorry these businesses are getting robbed, but what were you expecting? its the ghetto. look at the businesses around there that arent getting robbed. they have bars on the windows and doors. that area is as bad as bad gets. if youd like to stay in business, pack your stuff and set up shop somewhere else. fish are wet because they are in water. your business got robbed because its in norfolk.