Officer gives business owners tips to ward off burglaries

PALMER — In the wake of a two-week burglary spree that hit more than a dozen local businesses, the detective who believes he’s caught the man responsible sat down Thursday for a meeting with a handful of the victims.

Detective Sgt. Kelly Turney with the Palmer Police Department said with burglary, the emotions victims feel progress almost like in the grieving progress. It starts with fear born from the insecurity a burglary spawns. Right now, he said, people seem to be mad.

“There’s some anger, I think associated with that and then that kind of moves on to wanting to make sure there’s some justice and accountability for the person who’s responsible,” Turney said.

On Thursday night he ran a meeting at the Koslosky Center. He said the meeting went well, with each tenant of the building represented. The center was hit twice in the crime spree, which seems to have abated with the Tuesday arrest of Rueben Fielder who is currently charged with breaking into Bishop’s Attic and Fireside Books. Turney said he expects more charges to come.

At the meeting, he said, someone raised the topic of security systems – burglar alarms, surveillance cameras. He said his advice was that such systems can be helpful. But they’re not foolproof.

“Just keep in mind that anything that man creates man can break, tear down, break in or circumvent,” Turney said. However much time a person spends trying to make themselves feel safe, “the criminal half is spending the same amount of time trying to circumvent those things.”

He told businesses to work within their budgets rather than going all out on a system they can’t afford.

“Like I told them last night, you know, realistically is it beneficial to you to spend an exorbitant amount of money for a security system or a security door for your business?”

There are some basic things anyone can do to keep their business safe without even spending a dime.

First of all, if you’re stopping by work after hours, make sure you lock the doors behind you, even if you’re only going to be there for a few minutes.

Then there’s the question of cash.

“We don’t recommend that you keep cash or large amounts of cash in your businesses (overnight),” Turney said.

He suggested using the bank’s night drop box and even taking home the business’ opening till – the change needed when the business opens up.

There have also been cases, Turney said, where a business owner takes cash back to an unlocked file cabinet or cash box in full view of the public.

“If it’s an un-secure spot, don’t let everyone see where you go when you do that,” Turney said. “You never know who’s watching.”

In Fielder’s case, Turney said, he has evidence that employees at two establishments – an outpatient center in Wasilla and Fireside Books – spotted Fielder milling around the day before they were burglarized.

Anytime someone sees a person who seems suspicious or out of place, Turney said, they should note the person’s appearance or, better yet, get a license plate number and call it in to police.

As far as the police department is concerned, Turney said, officers as part of their routine patrol duties will rattle doors and make sure everything is locked up tight. If it’s not, they have a list of who to call to come lock a door.

Sometimes, he said, they come across someone who probably shouldn’t be there, be it a person who wanted someplace warm to sleep or a person who isn’t in full possession of his mental faculties. Police examine those instances on a case-by-case basis.

“Do they need a voucher for a hotel for the night? Do they need further investigation because all the doors appear to be jimmied and they’re the only one in the building?”

In the short term, Turney said, anyone who feels unsafe walking out to their car should call police. If there isn’t something pressing going on elsewhere, an officer would be happy to respond.

“That’s one of the benefits of being a small-town police department, we can walk them to their vehicles,” he said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.