Updated 06/13/2012 06:14 PM
Increase in home burglaries in Voorheesville
Police say they are seeing an increase in the number of burglaries in and around Voorheesville. They say victims are reporting stolen electronics and jewelry. Innae Park has more.
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ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. -- “You feel like you're being invaded upon, because you are,” burglary victim Janis Dunham Relyea said.
Relyea is one of many victims in a string of burglaries in and around the Voorheesville area. While nothing was taken from her home in February, small electronics, cash and other items have been lost from a dozen plus homes in the past two months.
“A lot of these people are going door to door, asking for directions. If someone answers the door, they'll ask for directions to Thatcher Park or Thompsons Lake. If no one answers, they hit the house,” Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said.
It's been hard to track down the responsible, since the hill town area can only be covered by so many patrols.
“I do feel like we're dealing with some sort of organized crime. I don't think it's teens looking for a quick hit,” Apple said.
But Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple is hoping a proposed law in the county will help crack down on these intruders. Local law "F" would create a uniform reporting program for pawn shop owners, requiring they keep electronic records of all items purchased, which would then be shared with the authorities.
“If there's an item matching a burglary in Knox, or a burglary in Guilderland, then we'll call. They have to hold the item for 90 days,” Apple said. “Hopefully we'll be able to cut down on precious, whether its family heirlooms getting stolen at Monday 9 a.m. and meted down at Monday 11 a.m., hopefully we'll be able to prevent that from occurring.”
At this point, any measure to curtail the crime is welcome.
Relyea said, “We've been sitting here a long time, thinking 'This is the safest place in America.' It's not.”