TENNESSEE, USA —
Theft is one of the top crimes in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. In 2018, it received over 140,000 reports across the state.
Powell resident Jessi Fenno said she knows what that feels like.
"We all woke up around six or seven o'clock in the morning and everybody was texting everybody," she said.
It happened first thing in the morning. Fenno and her family were sleeping when her entire neighborhood noticed something was off.
"I had like 10 text messages on my phone of people who had pulled up their security footage and seen people coming and checking doors," she said.
But not just one or two, Fenno said at least 20 neighbors caught the two men on camera.
"Our neighbors, their house got actually broken into because her fiance accidentally left the door unlocked," Fenno said.
This was the case for many of the residents. Houses and cars were tampered with, gone through and flipped upside down.
"You feel violated, you don't expect it to happen," she said.
The suspects didn't make it into Fenno's house, but unfortunately, they did find a way into one of her cars.
"My husband had his wallet stolen out of his truck," she said. "It's one of those things you always know it's a possibility but you just don't think it's gonna happen to you."
According to TBI, crimes against property accounted for 53.2% of all crimes reported in 2018. It also notes there were over 24,000 reported thefts from a building and almost 35,000 from a vehicle.
Fenno said because of this you'll want to find ways to protect your things.
"Obviously make sure your vehicles are locked and there's nothing of value in your vehicles," she said.
She also recommends security cameras for your home, and if you have a garage, you'll want to consider that too.
"Keep your garage door opener out of your car because people use them to get into your home," she said.
Now, Fenno believes her neighborhood is back to normal, but she encourages any and everyone to always think ahead because theft can happen to anyone.
"Just being smart and making sure your valuables are not easy access," she said.