Burglers Looking For Work In Yakima

Your chances of becoming a burglary victim are falling in Yakima County. "They broke the window and went right in."

Crooks not only snatched Jim Smith's things, they stole his sense of security. Twice in the last year, Smith has been the victim of a burglary. It's not something he easily forgets.

"You feel violated," Smith tells our news partner KIMA Action News. "People need to get their own job and get their own stuff and they'll appreciate their own things better."

Not that it's much of a consolation to Smith, but he may actually have been the exception. This year, KIMA discovered there's been a 13% drop in burglary cases in Yakima County, meaning 60 fewer break-ins and 60 fewer victims.

Police say they have arrested more people that are likely to break into people's homes. So where are the remaining burglaries happening? KIMA checked the county and city's crime mapping and found the thefts are happening all over, but downtown Yakima clearly bears the brunt of the problem. The Sheriff's Office investigated 420 burglaries so far this year.

That's the lowest number in two years.