Thieves are breaking in to more Anchorage businesses, according to data from the Anchorage Police Department. There were 264 commercial robberies in 2016, compared to 193 in 2015. Commercial burglaries jumped from 407 to 676 during the same period.
Several businesses have been hit multiple times. On Saturday, Midtown electronics repair and refurbishment store Device Pitstop was burglarized for the third time since it opened in March of 2016. Surveillance footage shows a Volkswagen Golf hatchback reversing into the front of the shop, breaking the glass. The driver then breaks into the store and steals 19 smartphones before leaving less than one minute later.
“We’re going to be looking in excess of $20,000 in stolen goods and damaged property,” said Scott Stansbury, the store’s owner.
He said after the most recent burglary in November, his insurance rates went up $600 a month.
“It’s just gut-wrenching,” Stansbury said. “You know, the first two times, it wasn’t as bad as this. But this one is just absolutely devastating.”
He has company. Last month, another electronics store in Midtown called Nutz Gadget was burglarized for the third time in one year. Thieves also hit an Anchorage salon a number of times.
APD Capt. Bill Miller said a rise in drug use is likely part of the reason behind the crime spike.
“Addicts need to get money or something to trade for drugs, so I suspect that’s probably driving a lot of it,” Miller said, adding that Anchorage is not immune to a nationwide rise in heroin use.
He said thieves have recently become much more “brazen” than they were in the past. Still, he said APD continues to work on solutions to the problem.
“We continually try new strategies and try new things to try and get the numbers down and make crime a less attractive alternative,” Miller said.
Stansbury said the burglaries are becoming increasingly difficult to weather financially.
“It has to stop,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to have businesses if this keeps going on.”
Monday evening, Stansbury told KTVA police apprehended a man who may have been involved in the burglary. Stansbury said the man was attempting to sell one of the stolen phones at a different store, where an employee alerted police. Officers used a Taser on the man before he was taken to the hospital, according to Stansbury. Police later confirmed that 45-year-old David Boyle had been arrested as a suspect in the case.
Anita Shell, a crime prevention specialist for APD, said business owners can decrease their chances of becoming property crime victims by investing in an alarm and video surveillance system. She recommended keeping valuable items away from the windows. Finally, she said, ensure the property is well lit and does not have large bushes where someone could hide.
“Look at your business through the eyes of a thief,” Shell said. “How easily can you be targeted and can the thief get away with something?”
There was some positive news in the data from APD. Residential robberies decreased from 137 in 2015 to 111 in 2016. Residential burglaries remained relatively steady — there were 1,272 in 2015 and 1,304 in 2016.
KTVA 11’s Eric Ruble can be reached via email or on Facebook and Twitter.
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