Economy Triggers Security Concerns

Rohrer said crimes at malls that had suburban moms buzzing this year were "isolated incidents," including a robbery in November outside Neiman Marcus at Tysons II Galleria and the abduction in September of an Alexandria woman from the Springfield Mall that ended in her death.

"I don't think those cases, those high-profile cases, are about the economic downturn," Rohrer said. "They're still troubling cases. . . . I think the perception piece is certainly a concern. People should feel safe to walk in neighborhoods, to walk in shopping centers."

Rohrer said he was far more concerned that cuts to police budgets would take officers off the street than that economic hardship would drive people to commit crimes.

The economic downturn is creating opportunities for crime, whether or not it is creating criminals, officials said. Prince William had a steep rise in metal thefts earlier this year, including at houses left vacant by foreclosures. Vacant houses are also plagued by squatting, vandalism and teen parties, officials said.

Copper thefts have been rampant in Charles County, and a surge of burglaries began there last month, Charles Sheriff Rex W. Coffey said.

"We had more [burglaries] last month than any month I could ever remember in Charles County since the '80s," Coffey said. The county recorded 84 burglaries last month, up from 63 the previous November, he said.

Stacey Lewis, a lawyer from Forestville, said that in the past two months, she and her 23-year-old daughter have been careful to arm the alarm system even when they are at home.

"With the economy putting a major stress on families and people out of work, you are going to see more crimes across the board and crimes of opportunity," she said. "Someone in my church had tools taken out of his car in Clinton the other day. He ran into a store for a second and -- boom! -- $3,000 worth of tools gone."

Sales of guns and ammunition are up 8 to 10 percent this year, according to state and federal records, fueled in part by fears that the incoming Democratic administration might tighten restrictions on gun sales. But some new gun owners -- crowding instruction classes and local ranges -- are also worried about rising crime, according to Nan Sanders, a retiree and shooting instructor from Vienna.

Sanders's group, Piedmont NRA Instructors, held a class in Chantilly recently on personal protection in the home and had more than a dozen students, about twice as many as usual. There were so many inquiries about a basic pistol class last month, "we had to turn people away," she said.

Jack, a communications professional, said she will be taking a gun safety class next month. She and her husband, Jay, a Realtor, decided to buy a firearm after a recent conversation around the dining room table. They talked about some of the recent high-profile incidents, of how "unbelievable" it all is, how fast everything is changing, how scary it is not knowing when it will stop or turn around.

A gun seemed to be the answer.

Staff writer Dan Morse and researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.