OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – “Highly skilled thieves” are targeting expensive homes in Oakland County communities, according to police.
Police told Local 4 that the thieves were “highly trained” in the art of home invasion burglaries, and they roam the country targeting expensive homes.
The incident occurred again over the past week in the Oakland County communities of Bloomfield Township and Birmingham.
Charing Cross in Bloomfield Township is not a gated community, though it has granite gates advertising its location. And it’s there where thieves who we’re told came across our southern border from South America are feasting on the backs of the poorly prepared.
Charing Cross is a long road lined with spacious, sometimes opulent homes. As is Oxford Court in Bloomfield Township, with each area being hit over the past week.
In Birmingham, Tooting Avenue is so exclusive it has a no-trespassing sign on the private road, not that the thieves cared at all.
They were hit over the weekend when the owner wasn’t home—the first time Birmingham’s been hit by these particular burglars. It’s become so common that Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard tells Local 4 they’ve started an informal task force that’s likely soon to become official.
They’re after teams of four who travel the country. They first hit heavily in California, but found their way to fly over the country over the past few months.
“It’s not surprising to know they’ve expanded their reach because it allows things to cool down potentially in a particular area and allows them to move on with the different teams, and that’s kind of what we’re seeing and what we’re seeing is really a challenge because they’re all over the country and move quickly,” said Bouchard.
They’ll break windows and watch to see how homeowners react or if there is any reaction at all, like an alarm. They’re after cash, expensive jewelry, purses, watches, and even small safes they can open later.
Most disconcerting is that a lot of it is easily preventable.
“We’ve seen a lot of these burglaries happen, and the alarms weren’t on, or they have systems, but they’re not up to date or have some of the current overlapping coverage I would suggest,” Bouchard said.
What Bouchard is saying is the thieves avoid conflict at all costs. If there’s a remote possibility of getting caught, they leave the area quickly.