MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - There's been a big increase in house and car break-ins in the Sea Isle neighborhood of East Memphis since last fall. The residents have been hoping to see more police in their neighborhoods.
When ABC 24 News went back to see if there have been any changes, we saw one police car in more than three hours. One.
That doesn't give a person the felling of a safe neighborhood, but residents said they've seen a lot more police since our story aired.
Memphis on a cold day isn't really Memphis. Memphis doesn't do cold real well. People aren't as friendly at times, the streets are quieter, and at night it's often too cold for the thugs to rob and steal and assault their way into our lives.
There's been too much of that robbing, stealing and vandalism over in the Sea Isle neighborhood. ABC 24 News reported on their troubles earlier this year.
We're not talking about national news here; you won't see big banner headlines screaming about car break-ins or house break-ins. What's happening in the Sea Isle neighborhood is not the stuff that novels are written about. But it's the stuff that drives people insane, that even takes a piece out of that security snuggie that people wrap around themselves when the sun goes down.
Resident Lisa Fox said she's been "shaken a little bit, but I feel pretty secure… My car is in a garage and then I've got a security system as well."
For most people, the security system is a rolling white car with blue lettering. Put more cops in a neighborhood, and crime goes down. It's a fact. And that's what police are doing over there.
"The police have been patrolling real good," said resident Jerry Pearlman, adding they've been present more than usual.
So what does all of this mean? If history is a good barometer, it means the thugs are taking their business to another neighborhood. That means new victims, new addresses, but the same old problems.
