WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) – Several small businesses in Walnut Creek have recently fallen victim to burglars. One of the latest happened at a coffee shop downtown.
The owner of Tellus Coffee on North Main Street says after they were burglarized, they’re now strongly considering the difficult decision of going cashless, which may hurt customers.
Walnut Creek police have already investigated multiple downtown burglaries over the last month, and it’s making business owners feel uneasy.
At Tellus Coffee, two people, including one who appears to be a pregnant woman, are caught on camera breaking in and then stealing cash.
“It feels pretty violating. Tellus is kind of like my second home and to be broken into, it’s just not a good feeling. It kind of puts me and my staff on edge,” said shop owner Janay McCullough.
McCullough says the burglar stole $450 in cash on the night of August 7. Tellus is one of more than seven downtown businesses that have been burglarized over the last month. McCullough says she has noticed an uptick in crime.
“The same day Tellus was robbed, I saw with my own eyes Nordstrom getting robbed,” she said. “My next-door neighbor got broken into. There’s been seven or eight other businesses that have been broken into. It’s really kind of getting out of control.”
To show results, Walnut Creek police did announce a recent arrest in connection with several break-ins in July. But McCullough believes there needs to be more police visibility downtown.
“Having a constant presence is reassuring if nothing else, but I feel like over the past couple of months they’ve really pulled back on that. I’m not seeing them as much,” she said.
A Walnut Creek city spokesperson says the police department is working on preventing more burglaries from happening.
They now have a new five-member detail working in the downtown area. McCullough is just hoping for a safe environment for all downtown businesses.
“I don’t know what the answer is, but it’s not my job to know,” she said. “I can just tell you that crime is on the rise and it needs to get taken care of.”
To address concerns about downtown crime and to lay out some plans, the Walnut Creek Police Department will be hosting an information session next week for small businesses. That’s scheduled to take place Tuesday at the library beginning at 3:30 p.m.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/MLZuXR2
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