Chesterfield Twp. neighborhood taking stand after tire thefts

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A roving band of tire and rim thieves has once again cropped up in metro Detroit, and after the crooks cleaned out one Chesterfield Township neighborhood, the residents are mobilizing against a second visit.

For many people coming out to suburbs like Chesterfield Township, north of 24 Mile Road is where they go to escape crime. But these residents leaned the hard way that the crime can still come to them.

An owner of a Ford Edge was about to leave for work in the morning, but found the car sitting on brick pavers. It was a shock to everyone in the neighborhood that saw it, including Chad Vester.

"I saw the car up on blocks when I was leaving for work at 6 in the morning," Vester said. "I thought someone was getting new tires and rims."

The crafty thieves hit half a dozen cars in the neighborhood and even more on the next one over. A set of new rimes and tires can cost a couple thousand dollars.

The thieves use tire store equipment, but quieted down versions like battery-powered lug drills. They bring a tire jack with them and even unscrew lightbulbs if they're on and only hit cars sitting in driveways.

"The sheriff's office says they're really sophisticated, they will disable security cameras and be gone in like six minutes," Vester said.

Vester decided someone in the neighborhood needed to make a stand, so he sent out a letter to everyone in the homeowners association, which was instrumental in helping build a Facebook neighborhood watch page. The patrols have already started.

"I was out driving last night before I went to bed," he said.

The crime spree has brought the neighborhood together. There is a run on security cameras at the local store and the residents are going to hold a meeting for the neighborhood watch soon, because 170 members have joined the Facebook page.