Over the last few months, dozens of homes have been hit, and neighbors have had enough.
A home burglary has not been reported for the last 12 days, which the city said is a good thing. But, many people living in Kingsburg said they still don't feel safe in their own homes.
"I'm proud of Kingsburg and how many people came. That is a positive that we're showing that we're not going to stand for the crime, said Stephanie Salmon. She started the push to bring her neighbors to the meeting. Last week she designed flyers to spread the word about the break-ins.
"I'm really scared and worried about what's going on," said Christy Collins. She told Action News she is no longer naïve to crime in Kingsburg. She hopes everyone's fears will be put to good use now. "Maybe now people will be more apt to join in and do a neighborhood watch, because of what we're hearing," she said.
Police Chief Jeff Dunn has been fielding individual complaints from residents for weeks. "I would be worried if people weren't upset when their neighbors and themselves were being victimized," Chief Dunn said.
Nearly 20 homes on the city's northeast side fell victim to burglars in a span of about 90 days. But, crime stats show that as average.
In 2010, there were 128 burglaries for the year, while there were only 62 in 2009. So far this year, there have been 44. The Chief predicts this statistic will fall somewhere in the middle of the two previous years by the end of this year.
"I do understand the fear and i think it is a healthy thing, because it's going to get people to pay attention and it's going to get people to be more involved," Dunn said.
