HOUSTON -
It's a place you turn to for safe keeping. From making a move to going off to college, to just plain downsizing, people use storage units for a number of reasons. But one area has seen that safe-keeping becoming not-so-safe. This after a series of break-ins has left some without their possessions and police looking for a suspect.
39 News learned more ways to prevent from becoming a victim.
Chris Lane manages the property at SureSave USA Self Storage. But he's worried because in the Copperfield area, not only has Lane's location been hit - so have other self-storage facilities nearby.
Last month, a few guys, caught on camera, broke into 13 units.
"The first time they came in, they weren't so smart [and] didn't cut any camera wires," said Lane.
The next night, thieves were back at it again, disabling cameras this time.
"Just this past week we had another break in; that would have been on July 20," said Lane. "Six more units were broken into, bringing the total up to 52 units just within a month and a half."
Lane said his storage facility is beefing up its security with more cameras.
"They know what they're doing; they're coming onto the property," said Lane. "They have the appropriate tools to break off cheap locks; not disc locks."
After that happened, customers are now required to have disc locks at their unit.
"We know the suspect who has units here, and basically his code was used for individuals to get onto the property," Lane said. "We have not been able to go into his two units yet [because] he is in lien status, but until he's 45 days past his due date of rent we can't cut the locks."
The tough part for customers is nothing can be done until serial numbers from stolen items are obtained.
"The police that came in asked me, 'on this camera do you see them doing anything illegal?' You don't," Lane said. "You see them moving from unit to unit with a truck; remaining behind the truck. You don't see them actually cutting locks."
"Serial numbers help out tremendously with our investigators recovering those items from pawn shops because they all get entered into a data base. And those items, if indeed they are stolen, they get flagged as stolen property and so our investigators can easily recover them," said Christina Garza, a media relations manager with the Harris Co. Sheriff's Office.
"Without a serial number being recorded, it's very unlikely that an individual is going to get their property back."
39 News learned more ways to prevent from becoming a victim.
Chris Lane manages the property at SureSave USA Self Storage. But he's worried because in the Copperfield area, not only has Lane's location been hit - so have other self-storage facilities nearby.
Last month, a few guys, caught on camera, broke into 13 units.
"The first time they came in, they weren't so smart [and] didn't cut any camera wires," said Lane.
The next night, thieves were back at it again, disabling cameras this time.
"Just this past week we had another break in; that would have been on July 20," said Lane. "Six more units were broken into, bringing the total up to 52 units just within a month and a half."
Lane said his storage facility is beefing up its security with more cameras.
"They know what they're doing; they're coming onto the property," said Lane. "They have the appropriate tools to break off cheap locks; not disc locks."
After that happened, customers are now required to have disc locks at their unit.
"We know the suspect who has units here, and basically his code was used for individuals to get onto the property," Lane said. "We have not been able to go into his two units yet [because] he is in lien status, but until he's 45 days past his due date of rent we can't cut the locks."
The tough part for customers is nothing can be done until serial numbers from stolen items are obtained.
"The police that came in asked me, 'on this camera do you see them doing anything illegal?' You don't," Lane said. "You see them moving from unit to unit with a truck; remaining behind the truck. You don't see them actually cutting locks."
"Serial numbers help out tremendously with our investigators recovering those items from pawn shops because they all get entered into a data base. And those items, if indeed they are stolen, they get flagged as stolen property and so our investigators can easily recover them," said Christina Garza, a media relations manager with the Harris Co. Sheriff's Office.
"Without a serial number being recorded, it's very unlikely that an individual is going to get their property back."
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