Business owners in west Macon-Bibb County concerned about thieves

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Small business owners in west Macon-Bibb County are working together to stop would be thieves.

Owners are teaming with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office to look for best practices to keep their stores safe.

“They’re like roaches. They’ll find a way to get in,” Hamp Dowling, the owner of the Eagle Gun Range, said.

He says he’ll find any way possible to prevent the “pests”, as he calls them, from breaking into his store.

“You just keep trying different methods to keeping them out,” Dowling continued.

He and other small business owners are concerned.

“We learned how to secure the doors better. We have better lighting, better camera systems,” Dowling said, pointing out his upgraded equipment.

Lt. George Meadows says transparency is what it takes between business owners to keep thieves guessing.

“Education and information sharing are the keys to catching people that are out there doing things like commercial burglaries,” Meadows said.

From better locks, cameras, and even lights — Meadows wants the owners to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity, so they can warn others about any shady characters.

“If we put out a surveillance steal or surveillance video, someone out there is going to recognize that person, maybe a tattoo, maybe certain clothing, shoes that they wear,” Meadows said.

“We’re all kind of in the same book as to what we want to do when some thing happens,” Dowling followed up.

It’s a mission to raid out the nuisance and keep the businesses safe.

“You never know. You’ve got to squash those roaches somehow,” Dowling said.

For more information on how to get a “business watch” near your neighborhood, contact Lt. George Meadows at gmeadows@maconbibb.us.