YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Base officials have beefed up patrols and are vigorously pursuing leads following a string of house thefts on Yokota’s east side, the 374th Airlift Wing commander told residents at a town hall meeting Wednesday.
Col. Jeff Newell said he didn’t want to "compromise the investigation. For all we know, the perpetrator could be in this room."
However, he pointed out much of the surveillance under way is being concealed and said base officials are committed to preserving people’s sense of security inside the gates.
"All it takes is one person to ruin this culture. We are going to find this person or persons," Newell said. "Security Forces personnel normally behind desks are out working this case on patrol."
"Our squadron is knee-deep in this investigation," added Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Peters of the 374th Security Forces Squadron. "I’m optimistic we can bring these folks to justice."
At least six cases have been reported since Oct. 19, base officials said. They also said there could be others not yet confirmed.
All occurred between midnight and sunrise as residents slept. Items reported taken have included cell phones, wallets, car keys, a digital camera and a Nintendo video game system.
Newell said the last two thefts took place overnight Saturday. An ID card, a credit card and a "significant amount of cash" were stolen between 5 and 7 a.m. Sunday during the latest burglary, he said.
"It’s a scary situation. Residents could have a confrontation in their living room, and you certainly don’t want to have people in the house when you’re sleeping," Newell said. "[But] there’s no evidence this is anything beyond someone walking through an unlocked, sliding-glass door."
There also have been reports of backyard gates standing open when people get up the next morning and at least one instance of a storage shed being tampered with, according to investigators.
"At this point, a locked door is a deterrent," Newell said.
Although no clear picture of a potential perpetrator has emerged, officials said, much of Wednesday’s discussion centered on the possibility of one or more youths being involved.
"Talk to your kids and see what they might know," Newell told the audience.
One man suggested the base offer a reward to help produce an arrest.
"If it’s a youth, you’d be amazed what a $500 reward could turn up," he said.
Two others at the meeting pressed security forces officials on why they’re not attempting to gather fingerprint evidence.
"It’s not practical [because] it would take three to four months for comparisons to come back," as the process must be completed elsewhere, said one of a handful of security officials at the meeting.
Newell praised the neighborhood’s residents for informing each other early on, especially those who posted online warnings to the community. The amount of discussion about the crimes was one of the reasons he decided to call the meeting, he said.
"I’m glad to see that the wing commander came out and did this," said Airman 1st Class Bryan Boykin, one of the few base residents not from the east side who attended the meeting.
"I still came because you never know where it could happen next."
Julie Hudson, the school nurse at Joan K. Mendel Elementary School and an east-side resident, also said she felt the session was a good idea.
"It was very informative and dispelled some rumors that were floating around," she said.
Hudson said she knew the residents of one home that had been robbed, and that the theft had even touched her family. One of the items stolen was a digital camera, which had pictures taken a week earlier at her husband’s birthday party.
Hudson’s family has taken the extra precaution of hanging a large bell on their door to alert them of any intruders, she added.
For Staff Sgt. Scot Riddell, another east-side resident, securing his home has always been a priority.
"I’ve always locked my doors at home," he said, including an extra chain lock that he installed on his front door "a long while ago."
