A law enforcement official warned the Village Center Community Development District Board of Supervisors that criminals are targeting The Villages.
Lady Lake Police Department Detective Butch Perdue on Wednesday cautioned that The Villages is a “baited community.”
The veteran detective said the demographics of the community are luring criminals in from out of the area.
“They come here because ‘everybody knows The Villages is full of old people and we can get away with it,’” Perdue said.
He said the types of crimes on the rise are golf cart thefts, vehicle burglaries and organized theft at retailers.
He pointed to the recent arrest of four women from Tampa who stole thousands of dollars worth of cologne from ULTA Beauty in Lady Lake. The women previously hit the store and boldly returned and stole an additional $3,000 in high-dollar perfume.
“It’s not a spontaneous crime. It’s well thought out,” he said.
He suggested that citizens can help make a difference.
He encouraged bystanders to be observant and pointed out that most people are carrying cell phones with cameras.
“Whip that camera out,” he said. “At a safe distance.”
He said that as with the ULTA Beauty heist, those women, who were loud and argumentative, don’t match the local demographic.
“They don’t fit,” Perdue said.
District Manager Richard Baier said the District always wants to work cooperatively with local law enforcement. He pointed out that in October, the District will take part in National Night Out, an event held across the country encouraging citizens to work cooperatively with law enforcement.