Sheriff Sends CodeRED Alert to Tecumseh

Stephanie Wurtz

Residents in Tecumseh received an important phone call Tuesday-- from the sheriff's office.
And for people in the quiet township, the alert came as quite a shock.
"This is the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office with an important message..."
That automated message warned more than 2400 residents in Tecumseh of a series of daytime burglaries.
"This is happening in our community and we need to band together with the citizens to solve these crimes," says Shawnee County Sheriff Dick Barta of the CodeRED alert.
The message continues: "the sheriff's office is asking for your assistance."
Assistance to solve the 17 burglaries the township has seen since the start of the year and to help prevent any more.
"It's pretty quiet here," says Tecumseh resident Dana Bloom, "I just think it's a good idea for the neighborhood to stick together and keep their eyes open for everybody."
"I think it's a wonderful idea, because I wasn't really aware we were really having a problem," says another Tecumseh resident, Kevin Smoot.
While residents in Tecumseh were surprised to hear about crime in the area, the sheriff has already received helpful information.
"We have been overwhelmed with calls since we put that out, so that's encouraging," Barta says.
This is only the second time the sheriff's office has used the CodeRED alert system.
The Shawnee County Sheriff's Office and authorities in other counties are joining together for a burglary summit Thursday to discuss strategies and share information.