Burglary victims play the waiting game

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A 25-year-old nurse has had trouble sleeping at night after a burglar broke into her Central Austin home. The crime happened more than a week ago.

“It just definitely feels violating and scary,” said the nurse who did not want to reveal name, for fear she would be targeted again.

She had called police every couple of days since the burglary, and each time she is told a detective has still not been assigned to her case. It appeared the burglar jimmied the kitchen window above her sink and lifted a laptop, digital cameras and an iPod out. Her big screen TV would not fit, so the burglar left it smashed up on the floor in a rush to get out.

After she came home and discovered what happened, she called 911 and police had the neighborhood surrounded in a couple of minutes.

"We were very pleased when they showed up immediately,” she said. “It made you feel a lot safer.”

But the last seven days have dragged on, despite her efforts to tell police her next door neighbor believes he got a glimpse of the suspect, his car and license plate number.

“I know when a victim is victimized they want their case worked immediately,” said Corporal Scott Perry with the Austin Police Department. He said a week is not an unusual amount of time to wait these days for a detective to contact a victim about their case.

“Unfortunately sometimes it is seven, nine, 14 days before a detective is actually able to look at a report and make a determination to see if there is enough information for him to follow up on it,” said Perry.

Each detective assigned to a particular area of the city could have as many as 120 cases on his plate at a time. On the day the nurse was hit at least 25 other burglaries were reported. Perry said the crimes with no leads get placed on the back burner.

“The detective has to try and prioritize which one he thinks or she thinks they have a good chance of actually solving,” said Perry.

The more details, eye witness accounts and vehicle descriptions make the crime much more solvable. Police also emphasize that crimes against people will always take precedence over property crimes.

What can burglary victims do?

Austin police say a simple phone call will keep your case on their radar. Get the phone number of your "area command" as well as the name of the officer working your case from the officer who takes the initial burglary report. Keep calling him or her to check on the status - especially if you have new details to offer, or if your own searches at pawn shops or other places turn up any new leads.