"Always maintain awareness": String of robberies has Sacramento-area communities on edge
SACRAMENTO — A string of robberies has local communities on edge.
In Little Saigon, some residents are worried as police have a tightrope to balance.
"We don't want to stop people from doing what they love doing," said Sgt. Amar Gandhi with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. "If you love shopping or you love going to the park, we don't want to stop people from doing that."
Earlier in the month, a 54-year-old woman was robbed in broad daylight.
In Fairfield, four were arrested after an attempted robbery left one man injured. Fairfield police told CBS13 that three 17-year-old boys and a 21-year-old woman were involved.
The two attempted robbers were juveniles.
Sacramento County authorities say the summertime typically brings this type of activity.
"Kids out of school during that time, not a lot of parent supervision because they're at work," Sgt. Gandhi said. "A lot of things do happen. We get a rise in vandalism, home burglaries, and, of course, sometimes in robberies as well."
While the public in Little Saigon asks for more stringent law enforcement, local police say the difficulty is the smash-and-grab nature of the crimes.
"We go through surveillance, we go through a lot of things to find who is responsible for these crimes," Sgt. Gandhi said.
Law enforcement officials want people to stay vigilant for something as simple as walking to one's car.
"Always maintain awareness at all times," Sgt. Gandhi said. "Maintain that 360-degree vision of what's in front of you, what's behind you and just being aware."
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office is still asking for Little Saigon residents to come forward if they have been the victim of attempted robberies in the last month.
