Police officers in Nashville and some surrounding counties report an increase in property crimes like burglary and theft, says The Tennessean. Some blame the recession, but others say the reason isn’t so clear. Nashville police report a 5 percent increase in burglaries during the first quarter of this year as compared with last year during the same period. Sgt. John Patton, a veteran burglary investigator, blames the jump on repeat offenders. “What we have here are people traveling from one area of town to another committing burglaries,” said Patton. “They usually hit suburban areas near a main roadway.”
In Gallatin, police have seen an increase in shoplifting, and that’s why officers are wondering if the economy is to blame. Shoplifting increased 20 percent year over year, said Gallatin Police Sgt. Bill Storment. Burglaries rose only slightly. “I have not heard people say that they are turning to crime because they are desperate, but I will say that shoplifting might be the only thing I might suspect would be economy driven,” Storment said. To discourage shoplifters, Storment said police have increased patrols in hot spots, like Walmart.