Concerns After Recent Downtown Crime in Prattville
Recent crime in downtown, Prattville is raising concerns among people working in the area.
Prattville Police tell me break-ins are rapidly happening in the city at businesses areas and neighborhoods.
They are urging people to be extra cautious.
Just last week, Red Arrow Hardware in downtown Prattville was broken into with the suspect or suspects stealing antique guns.
“To a collector they may have been worth six or seven hundred bucks. To the person that took them maybe thirty, forty, or fifty dollars,” says owner Donald Strength.
Donald Strength has owned the store for over 40 years and says it is not the first time that a break-in has happened but it is the first in a long time.
“Almost every time without fail, they’ve always came in for the guns,” says Strength.
Police are still searching for whomever is responsible. Meanwhile, Linda McWilliams of Victoria’s Boutique says just recently a shoplifter was caught after stealing around $700 worth of merchandise. While she has cameras in her store. She says there needs to be more.
“I think if we had more businesses, maybe mount them on the outside that would help. Maybe six cameras downtown would help. There are a lot of things down here that we really need to be watchful for,” says McWilliams.
“So many times we’ve been able to solve some cases because some of the businesses and some of the residents have cameras on their property,” says Diane Thomas, Prattville Assistant Chief of Police.
Strength says while cameras are important, actions by the city could help.
“We kind of feel like downtown that this maybe something that the city should do you know-have some cameras available on the street for our protection,” says Strength.
“Times are hard, times are hard for people downtown especially so we don’t need that type of vandalism. We don’t need those type of people coming in to our stores,” says McWilliams.
Authorities say that they are stepping up patrols in the area. If you do see something suspicious you are asked to not approach suspects because they are usually armed and dangerous. Authorities are asking residents to stay vigilant and to lock their vehicles. Most car theft crimes in neighborhoods, involved cars left unlocked.
