KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Ryan found this story by reviewing City committee minutes. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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With Black Friday just a week away, shoppers are preparing for big sales and purchases. But that also includes protecting online orders and items in their homes.
The Belton Police Department is working overtime to make residents feel safe, both at the store and at home, as the holiday shopping season approaches.
"Property crimes are issues everywhere, not just Belton," said Lt. Mary Bruegge of the Belton, Missouri Police Department. "Really, with the holiday season, it’s bigger, more easy, there’s more opportunity because people are shopping. People are busy. They’re trying to check off the list; they may forget to lock their car door. To lock their houses up."
Property crime is on the rise in Belton, Missouri, according to the police department, and retail theft has the broadest impact.
There were 293 reported theft cases in the city in 2024, and there already are more theft cases this year.
"I have nothing delivered to my house, said Sisie Folker, a Belton shopper. "I have it all delivered to my office."
Those numbers are on shoppers and residents mind's during this busy season.
"They see it's there, and nobody's looking, so they take it," said Rita Henry, another Belton shopper. "I don’t think it’s so much the economy, maybe a little bit, but I think it’s more the opportunity."
It's not just retail being hit.
Amanda Hoisington woke up to damage to her front door in October. She believes someone was trying to break into her house on Belton's west side.
"If I hear a noise, my heart sinks," Hoisington said. "I instantly think, someone's trying to get in again."
"I felt completely violated," she added.
While all property crimes are up in Belton, both retail and at home, the Belton Police Department is using social media to remind people to secure their property at home and in public. You can even register your Ring cameras with the department to submit evidence of break-ins or porch pirates this season.
"If a citizen sees something, say something. And report it to us so we can investigate and hold people accountable," Bruegge said. "We were sleeping and someone tried to break into our house and it’s kind of been unsettling since."
The goal is police presence and Hoisington told KSHB 41 she's noticing some more police patrolling the area.
"With Belton growing as much as it has, we just want to make sure people feel safe and happy and our retailers as well," Bruegge said.
According to Lt. Bruegge, residents heading to retail stores should make sure their property is secured in public and park in well-lighted areas.
At home, make sure to keep charge security and doorbell cameras charged. The Belton Police Department has a program where residents can register their cameras with the city. It doesn't give them permission to review footage all the time, but when a porch pirate strikes or a break-in occurs, police can access the cameras and work to identify a suspect.
"With situations like the woman [Hoisington], you talked about or others," Bruegge said. "If they have access to surveillance, or their neighbors have access to surveillance, that definitely helps us."
It's unclear why someone was breaking into Hoisington's home in October but she didn't have security cameras. Now she does.
"I mean, if it’s going to help find these people, yeah why not sign up," she said.
With more holiday spending across Belton and much of the metro, homes and porches could become a target for thieves.
One Belton shopper, who lives in Lee's Summit says combating porch pirates falls back on the resident.
"If I know I have a package coming, my daughter will pick it up for me," she said. "On the porch pirates, that’s going to be very difficult to enforce. I think that’s going to be on the people themselves. They’re going to have to take care of that problem."
According to the Belton Police Department, increased property crimes across the city can increase stress on residents, including employees in retail stores.
Lt. Bruegge says the department is increasing foot patrols this season and running undercover operations inside retail stores. It helps create a presence for store operators and hopefully catch people in the act.
"We have a lot of retail stores, we want our stores to be here, we want them to be successful, we want our citizens and our shoppers to feel safe when they shop in our community," added Bruegge.
Still, shoppers and locals feel to stop overall property crime, it will fall back onto the individual, knowing right from wrong.
"Honestly, it’s sad to say. But I think our moral compass is just not in the right place. People think there is no consequences," added Folker. "They just don’t have that inner guide that keeps them from doing the right thing, unfortunately."
For more information on how to protect yourself while shopping for holiday gifts or at home, contact the Belton Police Department at 816-331-5522.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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