SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Scottsdale police will hold a town hall for residents on Tuesday to go over the recent string of burglaries that have impacted residents across the Valley over the last three months.
Officials say more than 200 burglaries in cities including Chandler, Gilbert, Phoenix and Paradise Valley have prompted law enforcement to sound the alarm.
"We do believe that there's many more individuals out there involved in this, so we still encourage the public to be vigilant," said Sgt. Phil Krynsky, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Police Department.
The burglaries all exhibit similar methodologies that include groups of thieves who break into homes in the evening hours and smash through bedroom windows to steal untraceable valuables like jewelry or cash.
Police say all of these cases are connected to South American Theft Groups, or SATGs, that are highly organized and bent on making a living selling stolen goods.
"Trying to gather items that they're able to take, maybe not even be detected, and then either selling them here for money or sending it abroad," said Krynsky.
Residents in Paradise Valley tell ABC15 they are shaken by all that has been happening, but they have been trying to do everything they can to make their homes less of a target for would-be burglars.
Just last week, one Paradise Valley home fell victim to burglars when no one was around.
Scottsdale police say they want to tackle the issue with residents in that town hall on Tuesday; there are 33 cases in that city alone.
"We're trying to provide information to the community just to make them feel a little bit safer, to let them know what the Scottsdale Police is doing about these burglaries," said Scottsdale Police Sgt. Allison Sempsis.
These theft groups are not necessarily new. Police say they have been active nationwide over the last couple of years.
But the trend is getting more headlines in recent weeks, with Phoenix police arresting three suspects two weeks ago who are suspected of being involved.
Police say there are ways to protect your home, including investing in security cameras, locking your doors, and turning on your alarms.
"Making sure you have lights in areas where there could be dark areas, locking your gates, just making sure you're keeping your yard cleaned up because a lot of times because we have these big, massive bushes next to buildings and they use that to conceal themselves," said Krynsky.
The town hall will be held at Highlands Church on 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd. from 6 - 8 p.m. Tuesday. Those who are interested can submit questions via email to pio@scottsdaleaz.gov.
