MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After a string of car break-ins at a busy East Memphis parking lot, one business isn't just building muscle, it's also increasing security for customers parking their cars in the lot.
Multiple police reports detail a long list of calls to the shopping center on Poplar Ave. and White Station in response to car thefts and break-ins. Crunch Fitness in White Station is ramping up its effort to fight crime in the area.
A Crunch Fitness employee said on top of the security they have for their parking lot, they also have security for their plaza [and] are letting members borrow steering wheel locks.
“If you don’t park in the front of the buildings, nine times out of ten, you get your window busted out," Memphian Alvin Austin, who runs multiple businesses in the area, said. “You can pay for a training package, but you got a window that’s $350. You can pay to get your health together, but you stop going because of the crime.”
The latest data shows year-to-date car thefts and car break-ins are down, but attempted car thefts and car break-ins are up, with 142 more compared to this time last year.
To get a steering wheel lock of your own, MPD hosts steering wheel lock giveaways throughout the year. You can also contact your local MPD precinct.