Dog walkers are being called on to keep an eye out for their neighbors after a recent string of burglaries hit several wealthy Main Line communities.
The robbers have struck in daytime and nighttime, so police can’t always be there. Now police are training everyday dog owners to take a bite out of crime as an extra set of eyes, ears and even noses.
The dog walker watch met this week to get some “practical information” so they can be on the lookout when taking their pups for a stroll.
Organized criminals have been hitting unoccupied houses -- mostly in places like Bryn Mawr, Villanova, Gladwyne and beyond.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Surveillance video from Radnor Township shows one group stealing jewelry and electronics -- in and out within just a few minutes.
“They are looking for empty homes,” Lower Merion Police Lt. Jim Baitinger said. “They’re going to the rear of the properties entering through windows, breaking windows and/or rear slider doors.”
There have been at least 13 break-ins so far.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
“The larger group is the Chilean group,” Baitinger, who said the group tends to strike in the early evening, told NBC10. “They’re the ones that are going around the rear of the property, second story jobs. A separate Colombian tends to strike during the daytime."
So why dog owners?
That’s because dog walkers are out at nearly every hour of the day. Police are hoping that some vigilant people who see something suspicious might call 911 and help take a bite out of crime.
As of week’s end, however, there were no major arrests to announce.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
