Auto burglary concerns in Starkville

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville is experiencing an uptick in auto burglaries, and that has some residents calling for action.

“It’s been pretty nerve-racking,” said Saxon Wilson.

Saxon Wilson lives in the Green Oaks subdivision, a community that recently has been hit by car break-ins.

Wilson said he and his family have been on high alert, but even that hasn’t been enough.

“Last night, my wife’s truck got broken into, and we always lock our doors, and it just so happens in the chaos. One of the doors got left unlocked. So of course, they, they catch us on that night they broke in, stole the firearm, stole some other things and then took everything else out and tossed things out the window down the road. She found some of her stuff around the gutter, just toss her stuff out,” said Wilson.

Wilson said his family is now on edge, and he wants to see something done.

“I talked to the mayor. And she said she’s going to try to get things in motion. We’ve reached out to people, and everybody has the same concerns as me. They’re just not saying anything, because they feel like they won’t be heard,” said Wilson.

As more residents voice, their concerns city leaders have taken notice and action.

“So I have tasked the police force to see about getting a meeting so we can go talk to the homeowners. Tell them what’s going on. We’re going to see if we can set up a homeowner’s association that would include our police and one of the captains and then you know, the chief myself, hopefully, the alderman of that area, as well as the juvenile court judge.”

In addition to that meeting, the Starkville Police Department has upped their visibility in the neighborhood.

“We have increased patrol and there some other things we’re doing to work together with the community to reduce these crimes. We’ve done different patrols, both overt and covert patrols. You know, one of the frustrating things is a good number of these incidents. The vehicles have firearms.”

Wilson said he is glad steps are being taken, but he’s going to be taking action as well.

“We will be installing cameras and motion sensor lights? And which all sounds ridiculous? Like why can’t we just live at our house and not worry about these things? But apparently, it’s an issue,” said Wilson.

The Starkville Police Department encouraged residents to make sure they lock their car doors and remove all valuables when they leave.

Also, if you spot any suspicious activity, give law enforcement a call.

One of the biggest challenges the Starkville Police Department is facing with the auto burglaries is the culprits.

According to a Twitter post, seven juvenile males have been arrested for auto burglary in the past two weeks.

Most of them being repeat offenders.

Youth Court referee Lydia Quarles said they can only hold a juvenile for 48 hours without a hearing.

And what happens after that depends on the crime.

“These are property crimes. If these guys had been, you know, beating people up, that’d be different. But it’s hard to justify taking kids who have a parent or guardian who will come and get them and at least be a little concerned, least temporarily, to take them to detention,” said Quarles.

Quarles said another problem they face is funding and space in the detention centers.