CHARLOTTE, NC — It’s a problem across the Queen City, and one that is spiking in Northwest Charlotte. Criminals are targeting storage facilities, breaking into several units in one night, then moving on to the next victim. CMPD is warning residents to be on the look out.
“Hundreds of individual storage units that can actually be broken into,” says CMPD Officer Chris Kopp. “And that’s what’s happening is, you know, they’re going through there and hitting a bunch at one time.”
It’s a growing crime trend. Thieves targeting storage facilities, breaking into multiple units, looking for any and all valuable items.
Officer Kopp says these crimes are often an inside job, with criminals scouting the potential locations first.
“While you’re at your storage shed if you see suspicious people, or vehicles that are just sitting inside the storage unit, you know, call 911,” says Kopp.
CMPD sent out a Char-Meck Alert, with phone calls and emails through Nextdoor.com, warning people living near the storage facilities of break-ins around the I-485 corridor near Moores Chapel, Belmeade, Rhyne and Mount Holly roads.
But there are steps you can take to make it easier to recover property if you are a victim.
“If it has a serial number, a make, a model–write that down,” says Officer Kopp. “Have a record of it. That way, heaven forbid it does come up missing, or somebody does steal it, we have some type of identifying markings to go after and try to find your belongings.”
There are other tips that can help keep your items safe.
Keep in mind insurance is the customer’s responsibility. And all storage facilities are not the same. Remember, security gates and padlocks don’t always stop burglaries from happening.
“Make sure that there is sufficient lighting to light up the entire property,” says Kopp. “Also look at kind of the environmental area; the bushes, the trees. Is there a lot of places that a criminal could conceal themselves and have all the time in the world.”
You should also make sure the property has video cameras recording 24 hours a day, alarms on all access doors and new cylinder locks that cannot be cut with bolt cutters.
