Police: Tattersall being targeted by thieves

After an above average number of criminal incidents in the Tattersall area of Corbin recently, police are asking residents to simply be more aware of what’s going on around them.

Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Ron Bowling said patrols have been stepped up recently as a result of several incidents that were reported, but despite this, he said there really is no reason for residents to be alarmed and that the department wants the public to know they are not alone in this.

“We are not saying there has been a crime spree or anything, because there has been no forced entry in any of these situations,” Bowling said. “There have been an increase in incidents of criminal mischief in the area, but we have found out that the vehicles or homes have been left unlocked.

“I guess we are asking people to be a little more aware of what’s going on,” he added. “At the same time, we want them to know we are out there patrolling the area more than usual, so they are not in this alone.”
Bowling said there could be several reason to explain the increase in incidents, but to avoid having it happen to them, he feels like residents just need to be a little more careful and observant of their surroundings and the people they see in the neighborhood.

“One thing we have noticed regarding some of these instances is that the victims had recently been solicited for some type of handy work,” Bowling said. “There was a guy I talked to last week who had his car broken into and he said there was man at his house the night before trying to get work.

“There are a lot of independent contractors looking for work right now, so people need to verify their information when they are approached,” he added. “If they are a legit contractor they should have several identifiers, for example, their vehicle could be marked or they should have tools of their trade on the vehicle maybe.

“Make sure they have a business card to give you so that you can call them back when you decide to,” he added. “Folks should never make snap decisions on these things and try to verify the people offering the work.”

Bowling said Tattersall’s unique situation could be a benefit if people simply look around from time to time while they are outside. He also said that because of a low crime rate in the past, residents may have gotten a little too comfortable with the neighborhood.

“Tattersall is a unique area because there is just one way in and one way out,” Bowling said. “This is a good thing when it comes to stuff like this because people can keep an eye on who enters and who exits the area.

“As for past activity, I think people just aren’t used to this kind of stuff, so maybe locking everything up is hard to adjust to,” he added. “The times are changing and people are doing things to get money they didn’t in the past, so people have to take extra precautionary measures for this.”
Any one who believes they have been a victim or has any information regarding any thefts in the area are encouraged to contact the Whitley County Sheriff’s office at 549-6006.