NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING

An hour and 17 minutes into a Monday meeting at Columbus' Wynnton United Methodist Church, one man in the audience of about 300 midtown-area residents asked how many of those gathered there had been victims of theft.

Almost half raised their hands.

That explained the turnout of folks concerned about what they believe to be a coordinated crime wave of property theft that in the daytime targets houses where no one's home, and at night hits motor vehicles with the smash-and-grab pilfering of laptops and cell phones.

Monday's meeting at the Wynnton Road church was organized by MidTown Inc. to give residents a chance to talk with city leaders. Among those attending were Mayor Jim Wetherington, Police Chief Ricky Boren, Sheriff Ralph Johnson and District Attorney Gray Conger.

Boren ran through the midtown area's crime stats for this year, noting that his numbers came from a region that extends beyond I-185, which the nonprofit MidTown Inc. identifies as midtown's eastern border. Boren said the area had one aggravated assault, five robberies, 28 auto thefts, 47 burglaries and 176 car break-ins. Compared to other parts of the city, the area was slightly above average only in the category of larceny, he said.

Teresa Tomlinson, executive director of MidTown Inc., said from the anecdotal evidence MidTown has gathered lately, the more recent crime trend involves home burglaries and car break-ins, sometimes up to 15 cars in the same neighborhood. Those typically occur between 1 and 5 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; and home burglaries typically occur between 3 and 5 p.m., when burglars kick in a front or side door and steal TV sets.

A Garrard Woods resident at Monday's meeting asked, "Is there a flat-TV gang out there?" He figured he knew seven other people whose TVs, like his, had been stolen.

Boren said burglars

Tomlinson warned residents that if they call 911 just to report seeing a stranger walking down the street, that isn't going to be a high priority with police. They should look for more suspicious behavior, such as a stranger who's knocking on doors and then going into backyards.

Tomlinson said the information she's gathered indicates most of the crime is occurring in the area bordered roughly by Macon Road to the south, Edgewood Road to the north, Auburn Avenue to the east and Hilton Avenue to the west.

Traino said residents could help police by keeping records of the serial numbers on their property or by further marking it so it can be identified if stolen.

City leaders promised residents police will continue to go after the thieves. "I know you're not satisfied with us tonight, or you wouldn't be here," said Wetherington.. is hosting a meeting tonight to see whether residents in Columbus' Britt and East Wynnton areas want to form a neighborhood watch program. The meeting's at 7 p.m. at the Fluellen Recreation Center, 2824 Eighth St. For more information, call 706-494-1663.