Atlanta Cops Form Vacant Home Burglary Detail In Attempt To Control Vandalism Problem In Empty, Foreclosed Homes

In Atlanta, Georgia, CNN reports:

• When Atlanta police officers Bryan Ernest and Bernatt Collins get a burglary call, they know the house they walk into will probably be stripped, right down to the materials inside the walls. They are part of a special burglary detail formed to watch the increasing number of vacant houses resulting from unpaid mortgages.

• Drawing their guns, the officers approach an empty house and shout "Atlanta police!" before entering. It's a burglary call and they have to expect the worst. But the officers usually get to a home long after the thief has gone, leaving behind Sheetrock hanging from the walls like shredded cardboard, giant holes in the ceilings and exposed wiring minus its valuable copper parts.

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• Across the country, law enforcement officials report more empty houses are being burglarized. Developers are unable to sell newly built homes and landlords have trouble renting properties. Atlanta is one of the few police departments that has formed a special vacant home burglary team.

For more, see Police fight a rash of vacant home burglaries (read story) (watch video). neighborhood destruction from foreclosures kappa