Scottsdale is traditionally a very safe city, but like any city it is not entirely immune from issues. Parties get out-of-control in Old Town, fights happen, and occasionally there is gun violence. Our issues are typically relegated to relatively small issues such as that however, but there has been a troubling recent development that points to a significantly larger issue.
Scottsdale has recently been the target of a sophisticated burglary ring run by foreign nationals from Chile. We recently touched on this issue but it seems to have persisted, as thieves would steal expensive goods and resell them to the tune of $5 million and shuffling money between bank accounts; thankfully, six of the perpetrators have been arrested as part of a federal sting. These six are in addition to seven that were previously arrested.
The more noteworthy of the crimes were the “dinnertime burglaries”, where the thieves would act like cat burglars, breaking into homes at night (often with the residents being gone) and pilfering high-value items. All in all, 39 homes were broken into and a total of $600,000 worth of goods were taken.
The question stands: is this over? Did this latest arrest solve the problem once and for all. One could have reasonably thought that the last arrest could have led to the same conclusion, but clearly that was not the case. So what now?
Considering the fact that they all have one very clear thing in common, their country of residency, that offers one place to start. Chile is currently a participating country on our Visa Waiver Program, clearing an easier pathway to come to the country. While it is not ideal to punish many good-hearted people for the misdeeds of a few, perhaps the country’s participation in this program needs to be reviewed.
While the older amongst us may pine for the days where we could leave our front doors unlocked, those days are over. Such is the dual-edged sword of wealth; there will always be those who want to take it from you. While violent crime in Scottsdale may be low, this particular threat is difficult to stamp out completely, so basic security measures, such as securing your property, keeping openings locked, and having a security system are important. The best deterrent you can have for this problem is to not take it lightly.