Officers with the Benton Police Department are placing extra emphasis this September on locating and apprehending criminals attempting to burglarize homes and businesses with the “Bustin’ Burglars” initiative. This initiative is also designed to help citizens make more security conscious decisions to protect their property and family.
“We want to send a strong message to anyone coming to our city for these criminal activities, that you will be caught and incarcerated,” Chief Scotty Hodges said. “We are also going to help our citizens learn how to best protect themselves from becoming victims of these types of crimes. Together, we can significantly reduce these crimes and make our city safer.”
Citizens are encouraged to visit the BNPD social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) during the “Bustin’ Burglars” initiative for ways to protect yourself from burglars, information on neighborhood watch groups, how to stop crimes of opportunity, how to report suspicious activity, and more issues related to decreasing burglary crimes. Business owners, managers or employees can also inquire about the BNPD Benton Business Watch, which is a crime prevention tool for local businesses.
Officers will increase our neighborhood and business patrols around the clock. Chief Hodges pointed to the Aug. 29 arrest of two men from Texas who attempted to burglarize a local Benton convenience store as a great example of the “Bustin’ Burglars” initiative.
Just before 5 a.m. Aug. 29, a BNPD officer observed a vehicle that pulled into the parking lot of Mac’s Minnows and More (15920 I-30) and two men exited the vehicle. The officer noticed the two men enter the store, which was closed. While the officer moved in, an audible alarm could be heard coming from the business. The suspects fled in a vehicle. When the pursuit ended, both subjects fled on foot. BNPD Officers were successful in apprehending both suspects.
The officer’s attention to detail and surveying of business properties during closed hours is what initially led to the discovery of this burglary attempt.
In 2016, BNPD investigated 204 Burglaries. This year alone there have been 129 Burglaries.
“These are numbers that we want to dramatically see a reduction in, to increase the quality of life in our city,” Hodges said. “With cooperation and participation from the residents and business owners – from reporting suspicious activity to taking simple crime prevention steps - we can ‘Bust the Burglars’ together. Our officers are going to diligently work to prevent burglaries and apprehend suspects attempting to commit these crimes.”
To report suspicious activity, call the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send us anonymous information to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on ITunes and Google Play.
Follow BNPD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benton-Police-Department/221829174560849