TV Show May Have Been Catalyst For ‘Smash-And-Grabs’

“Smash-and-grab” burglars hit five Boise-area businesses in 95 minutes, getting away with more than $15,000 in merchandise.

Police suspect the thieves got the idea from a national television show that focused on the crimes, in which storefront glass is broken and merchandise snatched.

“It’s my gut instinct,” Lt. Dan Miller, a watch commander, said Friday. But Boise stores have been hit by smash-and-grab crimes for years, he added.

Jan Perkins of Perkins & Perkins Antiques lost $3,500 worth of antique rings, bracelets and pins from the store’s counter.

“It’s about time we woke up and realized these things are happening here - just like everywhere else. People think we’re so protected and isolated. It’s just not so.”

Someone took a 5-foot-tall case of earrings from Hendrickson’s Fine Jewelry, valued at about $10,000. About 18 electronic items were stolen from a Radio Shack.