Chief asks for help in stopping burglars

Mar. 3—With uplifting music playing, Highlands Church slowly filled up on the evening of Feb. 27.

Church sermons often quote Matthew 14:27-29: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

But this was not a church service.

The hundreds were here for a common reason: fear.

Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther attempted to inform and ease jittered nerves during a town hall on the South American Theft Gang — also known as "the dinnertime thieves."

Of 131 dinnertime raids of empty houses around the Valley, 33 took place in North Scottsdale within a few miles of Highlands Church.

As the auditorium filled before the presentation, word spread throughout the crowd of a nearby home invasion three nights before. Several who requested anonymity shared their trepidation with the Progress.

"We moved here seven years ago from New York City — and we don't feel safe now," one middle-aged DC Ranch resident said. "I sleep with my gun next to me now.

"Do we need to move again?" he pondered.

A white-haired man in the front row said he was born in Phoenix and spent "all my adult life" in Scottsdale.

He said he has never experienced what is going on now in the DC Ranch/Troon area since November.

"I'm not frightened," he said. "I just want to know what's going on."

But, he added:

"I'm going to get my shotgun and 9 mm and do some target shooting."

Another said a big dog is the way to go:

"I'm getting a Doberman."

Walther didn't come out and say it, but it sounded like he would prefer barking dogs over blazing gunfire.

Working the crowd like a standup comedian, he started the presentation by poking fun at himself.

He noted reading many emails slamming him for the 6 p.m. start time.

"A dinnertime meeting on 'The Dinner Time Residential Burglary Trend' — the irony isn't lost on me," Walther said with a sardonic grin as the crowd chuckled.

Flipping to a serious tone, he said, "I understand there's a reason for people who didn't want to come — there's a lot of angst."

Walther said the police department decided to live stream the event for those unable to attend, or who were just uncomfortable leaving their homes at the peak burglary time.

Walther then returned to discussing his overflowing email inbox.

"I'm getting a lot of questions," he said, "that went along the lines: 'Can I shoot 'em?'"

That was met with wild applause, which Walther quelled with some cold, hard facts.

He told the audience that those thinking of shooting home invaders should know about Arizona's "castle doctrine" specifics.

"You have an articulable reason to fear for your personal safety, i.e. either you're going to be grievously injured or killed ...You have to fear for your life or the life of somebody in your home and you have to be able to articulate that before you use deadly force," Walther said.

The police chief said crews made up of Chilean "crime tourists" are behind the break-ins here — as well as around the country.

Walther and his panel of police commanders stressed the thieves target empty houses, quickly gaining entry to master bedrooms to loot cash, jewelry and designer purses.

Walther grew angry while relating rumors have been swirling on social media of the bandits kidnapping children and harming pets.

That is fake news, the chief said.

Walther said no children have been taken in the thefts and no pets have been hurt — the slick robbers will avoid a house with "a barking dog that's going to draw attention," Walther said. And no injuries to homeowners have been reported.

According to the police presentation, of the 33 Scottsdale homes that have been hit, only two had people at home.

In the only cases where homeowners surprise the bandits, "they turn tail and run," Officer Aaron Bolin said.

"In the few instances where residents startled the burglars — the burglars ran off," Lt. Jeff Hawkins said.

Hostage incident

Some in the crowd were alarmed by a recent home invasion in the exclusive Silverleaf area of DC Ranch.

Hawkins confirmed the case, but said "it's not consistent with this group," alluding to the South American Theft Group.

Hawkins stressed a dozen or so "crews" of Chileans are looking for empty houses that they can get in and out of fast — in 10 minutes or less.

Hawkins was tight-lipped on the home invasion: "That is an active investigation we are not going to discuss."

"A lot of people know the victim," Walther added.

"The home invasion last weekend we don't attribute to this (dinnertime) trend — yet," Walther said.

A police communication said bandits hit a Silverleaf home Feb. 24.

According to the summary report, "The burglars had forced their way into the residence while the victim was asleep and then held them hostage as they ransacked the house.

"A short time later, the thieves fled from the house which finally provided the victim an opportunity to contact police."

Jammers

As reported in the Feb. 28 Progress, three alleged thieves busted by Phoenix Police officers were Chileans with fake passports.

Though not carrying firearms, they had Wi-Fi jamming devices that can potentially disrupt alarms and even cellphones.

"Are the gangs breaking into houses armed with guns?" one audience member asked at the Scottsdale town hall.

Hawkins's one-word answer: "No."

Questions were submitted in writing, with many asking some version of "What can I do about this?"

Tips from the police included keeping lights on when residents are away from home, looking at shatter-proof coverings for windows and being alert to anything out of the ordinary in neighborhoods.

Walther said he has 400 officers covering the city's 184 square miles.

"Can I solve this by myself? No. I need your help," Walther said.

"I need your eyes and ears ... I need us to be connected, the way we used to be before we got big."

He stressed people should call the police non-emergency number — 480-312-5000 — for any activity they think is suspicious.

Hawkins recommended "target hardening. Remove valuables from the master bedroom. These people are on a clock, we need to slow them down."

This is nothing new to Scottsdale, Hawkins stressed, noting in 2019 three Chilean tourist-bandits were arrested, followed by four thieves "vacationing" from Chile in 2022.

Those arrested, he said, were here as part of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization — or ESTA — program. The international travel program offers "same-day processing," according to the ESTA website.

Hawkins said the current bunch that started hitting Scottsdale homes in November is operating with nearly identical methods as previous year's bandits.

"They're elusive. They do not take guns ... they want to get in and out as fast as possible," Hawkins said.

Forced entries are typically on second floors, as "the master bedroom is the target."

Though the crews have been pretty slick, Hawkins noted "captured evidence" shows the thieves are part of the South American Theft Group.

Walther said police are patrolling North Scottsdale by land and air — with drones for the latter.

Chief's takeaways

After the two-hour town hall, the Progress asked Walther how he thought it went.

"I could not be happier at the turnout here," he said.

"I expected a fair turnout. I didn't expect the main chapel to be nearly full and the last I heard was 1,700 people online. And so that's got to be a record for us in terms of how many people we've had at at a town hall."

And, he added, "Everybody was engaged."

Walther was asked if he sensed palpable fear in the audience.

"Yes, I think that people are afraid," he said.

He said the 33 Scottsdale burglaries are "a big deal" — but reiterated "this is everywhere ... It's in Scottsdale, it's in Paradise Valley, it's in Peoria, it's in Mesa and Gilbert and Chandler, it's in unincorporated areas.

"And that's what's scary is how prolific it is, how widespread it is."

Walther agreed that, whether a residence is occupied or not, criminals entering it makes it a "home invasion."

"The feeling when their homes are broken into ... I think is indescribable," Walther said.

Though many in gated communities previously felt safe, the dinner-time bandits are using golf courses and washes to elude the gates and loot high-end homes.

"And a lot of these are folks that I think have done everything right," Walther said. "They have alarms, they have cameras ... They say, 'Hey, let's go out to dinner for an hour or two.'

"And a crew comes in with a cell phone or Wi-Fi jammer, breaks a window, gets in and steals valuables and is out in 8 minutes ...

"Sometimes you do everything right," the police chief concluded. "And you still wind up being the victim of a crime. And that's the powerlessness I think that people are feeling."