Businesses in Jim Thorpe have become targets for both local burglars and visiting shoplifters. In an informal door-to-door survey of the mom and pop businesses in and around the downtown business district, about a dozen shops have reported a theft.

The survey was triggered by a theft of an original oil painting by Victor Stabin, taken from the Flow Restaurant on June 28, 2011. Local artists were questioned as to whether other art had been stolen. The response was, not that art was being stolen, but that businesses were having problems with thefts in general.During interviews with the press, the following was noted:Harry Packer Mansion - A car was stolen, later found next door. Another car was broken into and the GPS and E-ZPass transponder and other items were stolen.Moya Restaurant - In Nov. 2010, a GPS and sunglasses were taken from an unlocked car. On June 27, 2011, two male youths attempting to pry open an entry from the roof were chased away by the resident owner.Country Cottage - On March 31, the owner left on afternoon errands. Upon return, the cash register had been emptied of less than $20. An upstairs window had been broken to gain entrance.Bear Appetit - On June 28, windows were shattered.Ruth Bush - On May 14, while distracted by one couple another couple took under $100 from a cash drawer. Both couples were in their 50s.Carbon County Friends of Animals - During the night of May 24/25, a cash lock box containing three weeks worth of checks and cash totaling $1,500 from donations and adoptions. The back door was jimmied.Pocono Adventure Central - on June 25 a door was jimmied and $1,200 was taken from the register.Gem Shop - On June 18, the shopkeeper was alerted by a customer that a woman was stuffing a dress and purse in a large recyclable plaid bag that she had with her into the store. The woman, who was described as white, mid 50s, average height, with dark hair in a pony tail. On a separate occasion, an IPhone was taken while the owner was busy relocating a security camera.Alice's Pantry - On June 22, a car was stolen, taken for a joy ride through peoples yards and a cemetery, abandoned, and recovered by the Jim Thorpe Police. The owner was told by a neighbor that that night at about 2 a.m. two youths were trying to open car doors on Race Street.Through the Looking Glass During the night of Nov. 25, 2010, the resident owners were awakened and found and intruder had entered the building through a window. An IPhone, a camera and other electronics were found missing. On June 24, the resident owners were awakened to find that the frame of the back door had been broken but the intruders didn't have time to overcome a security bar. Early on the morning of July 28, various materials were used to deface the outside of the building.Marianne Monteleone Design - On a Sunday night during the past winter, a window was pushed in and an IPod, a wireless machine and about $100 cash was taken.Earlier this month an interview was held with representatives of the Jim Thorpe Police Department to obtain additional information related to the thefts and an assessment of the general situation. Attending were Mayor Michael Sofranko, Police Chief Joseph Shatz, and Detective Lee Marzen."We have our share of thefts and burglaries that we investigate," said Mayor Sofranko.He suggested that crime in general, and theft in particular, is about the same in Jim Thorpe as in other areas of Carbon County, and the rest of the country. He noted that in 2010, the Jim Thorpe Police Department had close to 5,000 total contact calls.Sofranko also noted that reports of crime are reported to The TIMES NEWS and the Jim Thorpe Borough Council, and are tracked in a Uniform Crime Report, which covers the borough as a whole and does not separately collect statistics on the business district.As to the thefts in the businesses listed in this article, Detective Marzen noted that they are all "active cases." He said that the department has processed fingerprints and interviewed people.Chief Shatz noted that in cases where there is not an immediate arrest, the gathering of evidence can take months or years. The evidence, once gathered, is given to the district attorney who decides whether an arrest is indicated. Shatz noted that a recent robbery is being resolved after a year and a half of investigation.Asked about the profile of the typical thief, Chief Shatz said the thief may be of any age, most likely a local, and with an 80 to 90 percent chance of being a substance abuser."People think that when we get a case today, it should be solved by the end of the shift," Shatz said. "People think it is like on TV. Sometimes that is the case. We may get a case in the morning and someone may have provided information. We send a detective over. We have to prove the case, until then it is active."Detective Marzen noted that break-ins where there are video cameras both inside and outside are solved nearly all the time, other building break-ins are resolved closer to half the time, and thefts from automobiles are the most difficult "unless there are witnesses or things turn up at pawn shops, or there are fingerprints."Sofranko said that the first step is to report a crime to the Jim Thorpe Police Department. In an emergency, call 9-1-1. If it is not an emergency, call (570) 325-9111.In the event someone tries to enter or rob your home or business, Sofranko advises to call9-1-1 immediately and avoid a confrontation. He recommends that you lock yourself in a secure area while waiting for the police to arrive. Record any information-description, license plate, any conversation."There is a law with the right to defend and protect property," Sofranko noted, "Jim Thorpe has a qualified police department. I don't need vigilantes out there. People should contact the police."The Jim Thorpe Police Department has six full time officers, which includes the chief and detective, and seven part-time employees.Here some recommendations to help prevent thefts:• Run a background check on employees• Make sure doors and windows are locked• Do not leave valuables around• Remove cash from registers when closing• Leave cash drawers open to avoid damage• Leave a small amount of change in the register• Leave lights on inside and outside shops• Monitor inside and outside with video cameras• Contract with a security service• Install steel doors in rear with bar closures• Secure all rear windows• Secure all upper story and roof accessible entrances• Consider a dog