Valencia Co. deputies warn of burglars

ð ARE SEEING A SPIKE IN THE NUMBER OF HOME BURGLARIES. AND IF YOU'RE ONE OF...  More »

ð ARE SEEING A SPIKE IN THE NUMBER OF HOME BURGLARIES. AND IF YOU'RE ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF NEW MEXICANS HEADING OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEK FOR THE HOLIDAYS -- THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T COME BACK TO A CLEANED OUT HOUSE. JEFF MAHER JOINS US LIVE WITH TONIGHT'S TOP STORY. JEFF. DEPUTIES SAY THEY USUALLY SEE A SPIKE IN HOME BURGLARIES CLOSE TO THE HOLIDAYS -- BUT NOT THIS EARLY. THEY SAY THE CRIMINALS ARE OFF TO A QUICK START, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE POOR ECONOMY -- AND THAT YOUR BEST PROTECTION IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR. 'i've been working 15 years, very hard to work for everything we've had, and it's just gone in an instant, in a heartbeat' JOAN AND TIM GREER ARE NOT HAVING A GOOD HOLIDAY SEASON. JOAN IS ABOUT TO LOSE HER JOB AT SOLO-CUP IN BELEN -- AND RECENTLY, THEY BECAME ONE OF THE MANY BURGLARY VICTIMS IN VALENCIA COUNTY 'front door right there was just busted straight through, and all the kitchen cabinets were open, bedroom cabinets, everything was just ransacked' THE BURGLARS HIT THE GREER'S HOME IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, WHILE THEY WERE BOTH AT WORK. THE NEIGHBORS WERE GONE, SO NOBODY SAW ANYTHING, EXCEPT FOR THE GREER'S DOGS WHO WERE LOCKED UP OUTSIDE AT THE TIME, AND WATCHED THIEVES MAKE OFF WITH ALL OF THE COUPLES' JEWELRY, COMPUTERS, A STEREO, A T-V, AND SOME ANTIQUE GUNS -- TOTALING SEVEN- THOUSAND DOLLARS. DEPUTY ED CHAVEZ SAYS THE SUSPECTS LIKELY STAKE OUT THE HOMES FIRST. 'they may even be watching some of these people, both of the residents leave in the morning, go to work and then they know it's time for them to go to work as well' CHAVEZ SAYS THE BEST ADVICE BEFORE YOU GO OUT OF TOWN THIS WEEK -- LET YOUR NEIGHBORS KNOW WHEN YOU WILL BE GONE SO THEY CAN KEEP A LOOKOUT, GET AN ALARM SYSTEM THAT NOTIFIES POLICE, AND CONSIDER GETTING A COUPLE OF WATCHDOGS. 'the people in the community are going to be able to be the ones who make the difference, there are just a few of us compared to all of the neighbors they have' A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE DOING THEIR CHRISMAS SHOPPING NOW TO GET GOOD DEALS ON PRESENTS. DEPUTIES SAY THE THIEVES ARE AWARE OF THIS, AND ARE STEALING THOSE TOO WHEN THEY BREAK INTO HOMES, SO YOU MAY WANT TO KEEP THE PRESENTS IN AN EVEN MORE SECURE PLACE THAN YOUR BEDROOM CLOSET.  « Less