Crime Affects Commercial Property As Well As Residential

Yesterday my co-worker Kim Iler asked me to ride with her to one of her commercial property listings to meet a customer there. She was smart to ask me because the property, on Ogeechee Road, is vacant and set back from the street.

She wanted my company because she didn't know the person/people she was meeting and mace can't prevent all criminal attempts.

When we pulled up we saw the front door to one of the buildings was forced open and the door on another building were swaying in the breeze. So she called the Chatham County Sheriff's Office to report the incident.

We sat in the car upon the advice of the dispatcher, which was just as well considering it started to rain. Officer Bena arrived, got our story and then called for back-up. Officer Marshall (no relation) quickly arrived. As they searched the first building Kim's customer pulled up.

It can't be a good thought that crosses a customer's mind when he makes an appointment to walk a property and arrives to find two cops yelling "Police!" from inside it.

Kim explained the nature of their visit and he volunteered that the doors had not been busted open when he drove by the property at 7p.m. the night before. So now the officers could narrow the time the crime occurred. After they cleared each building Kim walked around explaining the virtues of this investment to the customer.

While I'm not looking at any statistics right now, I think it is safe to say break-ins are on the rise. The community recently saw the theft of A/C units from just empty churches on Isle of Hope and the Boy Scouts Coastal Center. So what can a property owner do to protect her property? (In this case, the owner lives in Florida.) You can use an alarm system (most practical), file paperwork with the Sheriff's Office to permit them to patrol the property and arrest anyone on it (practical) and alert the neighbors (generally effective).

Fortunately for me and Kim, it isn't our job to protect your property in your absence, but we can help out when something goes wrong.

This particular property owner is lucky- nothing was stolen (A/C units, appliances, wiring, etc...) and there was no extensive damage from smoke or graffiti. All the trespassers left were a broken door and empty Twinkie wrappers.