Arlington Residents Concerned Over Rash of Break-Ins

Residents in one southeast Arlington neighborhood say they're frustrated after nine reports of home break-ins in the vicinity of Sublett Road and Collins Street in the last two months.

Arlington police are working to prevent more from happening.

It’s been months since Kristina Lockhart’s home in Arlington was targeted by burglars, but she said it’s something that haunts her to this day.

“We kind of live in this state of fear that it might happen again,” said Lockhart.

She and her husband have since replaced their wooden doors with steel doors and installed surveillance cameras outside their house in hopes of preventing a repeat break-in.

Still, she said it’s frustrating when she checks her community’s “NextDoor” social media site and sees that other people who live just minutes away from her are also dealing with break-ins.

“What happened to us was over a year ago,” said Lockhart. “And yet, it keeps happening."

Arlington police say “Beat 580” – a group of a dozen or so neighborhoods in southeast Arlington – has been a hot spot for burglaries. That was particularly the case last fall, when they received more than 30 reports of break-ins at homes in that area.

Authorities have since stepped up patrols in those neighborhoods and even made some arrests. As a result, there have only been nine reports since Jan. 1.

Lockhart said she’s happy to see that police are making progress, but she won’t be satisfied until the problem is gone.

“I’m angry at the folks who are doing this because they’re taking advantage of people who are working,” said Lockhart.

And eliminating the problem, she said, will take everyone.

“We haven’t come together as a community or worked with the police department to say, 'Hey, this is a real issue,'” said Lockhart.

Arlington police say residents need to report any suspicious activity or people in their neighborhoods immediately. They also encourage neighbors to meet and watch out for each other. They say statistics show that crime rates are lower in tight-knit neighborhoods.