Atlanta

Officers team up with SWAT in major push to stop car break-ins

ATLANTA — Atlanta police officers are combining forces with a SWAT team in a major push to stop car break-ins.

“We have the SWAT team up there. We have even administrator officers who are normally working the desk, to get them out from behind the desk and get them on the street and target some of our worst offenders,” Atlanta police Maj. James Shaw said.

Nearly 100 arrests have been made in the last four weeks.

Police said break-ins are happening all over town, from Buckhead to Midtown to Downtown. They said thieves are not just hitting cars that are unlocked, but also cars that have expensive items such as watches, laptops and guns inside.

“Somebody broke into my car and took my gun,” theft victim Rich Mo said. “I put it in the car, locked the door, so I thought, and left.”

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Shaw said some of the thieves are gang members from different parts of the city.

“These suspects that are breaking into cars are getting guns out of the cars, so it becomes more of a concern for us,” he said.

Many of the people arrested are under the age of 18. Shaw said, in many cases, the law won’t allow them to be held accountable so the cycle of crime is hard to stop.

“About 80 percent of the time, they will be released back to their guardian without ever having to actually go down to get booked in,” he said.

Police hope their strong presence will send a message to thieves.

“It makes people feel more comfortable and it probably stops people from wanting to break into the cars,” neighbor Jazmyn Wright said.