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Cops Target Baldwin Park After Crime Spike

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 – updated: 5:40 pm EST November 25, 2008

A spike in crime has police targeting a high-end Orlando neighborhood.

Thieves recently broke into a restaurant, stealing three large-screen TVs and causing $8,000 in damage in Orlando's Baldwin Park. A second restaurant was also burglarized.

Police also noticed a 64-percent increase in car burglaries and targeted the area last week.

"We are attacking it," said Capt. Carl Metzger of the Orlando Police Department. "My officers are flooding that area."

Metzger arrested two teens Sunday in connection with recent burglaries.

"I think they were doing the vast majority of these car break-ins at night," said Metzger. "Taking them into custody will slow things down."

Baldwin Park (see map) is a relatively new neighborhood built on the site or Orlando's former Naval Training Center. Some residents want a wall built between it and older, adjacent neighborhoods. But police say increased presence by officers may be a better solution.

Residents and business owners contribute $15 million in taxes to Orlando. But O.P.D. says they are not getting special treatment. They say officers track crime trends and increase patrols where they are needed regardless of the neighborhood.

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