Over the weekend, jewelers in two Florida towns responded quickly to getting their power cut and were able to prevent possible burglaries, says Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) president John Kennedy.
In the first instance, five jewelers in one town got their power cut. After the jewelers contacted police, the cops staked out the stores and no burglaries occurred.
In the second, a jeweler who had his power cut called the police. Officers went to the area and arrested a group of would-be suspects.
“This weekend, the burglars were foiled,” Kennedy says. “I hope they continue to be foiled.… I would be extremely surprised if there wasn’t an attempt at another hit over the next few days.”
Last week, the JSA sent out a bulletin warning jewelers that if their store experiences a power outage, it’s a red flag that their store may be targeted for a possible burglary. It said that it had seen 50 instances of jewelers having power outages since the beginning this year. And while not all of those instances resulted in burglaries, it’s an unusual number that shows that this technique is on the rise.
“We have seen a huge upsurge,” Kennedy says. “These are different crews, and it’s happening all over the place in a very organized way. We have never seen this kind of huge concentration before.”
The JSA recommends that if a jeweler learns that their store’s power is cut, they should immediately call the police.
“People have to be alert, they have to call the cops quickly, and explain this is an M.O. going around the country.”
The JSA warns that jewelers should not try to respond to the situation themselves, but go to the store only when accompanied by a police officer.
“This is another reason we tell jewelers in towns to make sure you have a good relationship with your police department. You will get much better service if you make friends with them and they know you are a supporter,” Kennedy says.
Jewelers can learn more tips for handling these episodes here.
Anyone who has information about or wants to report an incident should contact the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, jewelerssecurity.org, 800-537-0067.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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