More than 100 people gathered at the Guardian Hose Company Activities Building last week, as the Thurmont Police Department hosted a public meeting to address a recent rash of thefts from homes and vehicles.

According to Lt. P. Allen Droneburg, the department first noticed the uptick in crime when several thefts from vehicles were reported in April.

"Then they stopped for a while," he said. But since mid-June, the incidents have increased again, he added. Since April 1, there have been a total of 25 thefts from vehicles reported. Global positioning systems, mp3 players and satellite radios are the types of items that have been stolen.

Since July 29, eight home break-ins have also been reported, he said. All of them were non-forced entry, with the perpetrator coming in through an open door or window, he added.

"A whole variety of things tend to make the summertime a more prevalent time for these types of crimes," Droneburg said. Among them are windows or doors of cars and homes being left open or unlocked. The department has heard that other areas, including Urbana and Hagerstown, have witnessed similar upticks in this type of crime in recent months.

Chief Greg Eyler decided to hold the Aug. 12 meeting after the most recent incident report, which came in on Aug. 5, Droneburg said.

"Preliminary investigations show crime is not related to gangs," Eyler said at the meeting. A "Meet the Chief" night hosted by the department in March addressed the issue of gang members in town.

The officers said they have a few leads on suspects in the thefts, but couldn't provide details since investigations are ongoing. Some of the individuals may have drug dependencies and are stealing items they can pawn for cash, Droneburg said. He suggested writing down the serial numbers on electronics so they can be tracked if pawned.

They also offered detailed suggestions about how to keep homes and vehicles secure.

One resident who spoke at the meeting, Cindy Beck, said about $2,000 worth of merchandise, including holiday decorations and even the lights she put out to deter thieves, were stolen from her yard in the 18 years she's lived in Thurmont.

"I just wanted to hear what else was going on" as far as thefts in town, she said. "I'm frustrated," she added.

"Being a small town I imagine everybody's really upset about the crime," said Denmond Souris, a seven-year resident. He said he came to the meeting to keep himself informed and to meet the police officers.

"It's good to know what's going on around you," agreed his son, 17-year resident Christopher Souris.

Many residents expressed concerns that the town's juvenile curfew, which extends from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends, isn't being enforced strictly enough. Several also suggested that the most effective and practical solution to stopping the crimes is to look out for each other by reporting suspicious activity.

Droneburg said he and Eyler were pleased with the turnout and hope that all the residents will take the home security surveys they passed out and sign up for the department's Nixle alerts.

Mayor Marty Burns was in attendance and addressed the crowd after several attendees asked Eyler about the practicality of hiring more officers.

"The buck stops with me, it's my budget," he said. "We're trying to be good stewards with your tax dollars."

"I've never seen this many people in a town meeting," he added. "Make your voices heard. Help us help you. If this is important to you, let us know."

He estimated that a 1.5 cent tax increase would give the town enough funding to hire one more officer to the department. While its goal is to have a dozen officers, the department only currently employs 10 due to a tight budget, Burns said.

cpomeroy@gazette.net

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