WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — As people stayed home during the pandemic, so did a lot of burglars and robbers in Warner Robins.
According to the Warner Robins Police Department's 2020 crime report, their burglary, robbery, and theft numbers were down.
Robberies dropped by 19 percent compared to 2019, burglaries were down 14 percent and thefts dropped by seven percent.
At The Party Store, Keira McCauley always greets her customers with a smile, but it's not just about good customer service.
"We greet our customers when they come in the store so they know we're here and we know who is in the store, and somebody always periodically walks the store to make sure that everyone is doing good."
She says she's never felt unsafe in the store and they've never had a burglary or a robbery.
"We also have our security cameras that we can take a look at," she says.
In 2020, Warner Robins had 84 robberies, 522 burglaries and 2,553 thefts. All three categories dropped from the year before.
"We have historically had high theft numbers. I think part of the reason they went down was everybody was at home, so it wasn't like somebody left a tool outside and went off to work and went off to school," says Police Chief John Wagner.
Wagner says people working from home and businesses closing had a lot to do with the dip.
"A lot of criminals just don't want to be caught and they don't want to be caught while someone else is there."
As far as homicide, aggravated assault, car theft and arson, those numbers pretty much stayed the same between the two years.
"I am pleased with the stats, I am pleased with that. Of course, one crime is one too many."
Burglaries didn't just go down in Warner Robins.
In Bibb County, the sheriff's office recorded more than 500 fewer home burglaries last year.
McCauley says The Party Store was closed for close to 70 days because of the pandemic.
Then, they reopened with curbside pickup.
Now, they have people coming in and out all day.
"With people coming in now more frequently, it's getting busier so we are watching more and more," says McCauley.
Wagner says their call volume also dropped by about 2,000 last year.
He also credits that to people being at home and able to work out minor incidents by themselves, without calling 911.
According to that crime report, Warner Robins saw four homicides in 2019 and two in 2020.
Now in May of 2021, they've already had two.