Lafayette Residents Pack Meeting Addressing Recent Uptick In Violent Crime

LAFAYETTE (KPIX 5) -- A community meeting in Lafayette Wednesday night addressed the recent uptick in crime in the secluded and affluent suburb.

It was standing room only inside the Veterans Memorial Building. While law enforcement has increased patrols, many residents feel more needs to be done and they are ready to take action.

For a community that has felt mostly sheltered from big city crime, two home invasion robberies within a month have many rattled.

Elizabeth Dietsch lives just two doors down from the first home invasion robbery, which happened on Halloween night. It occurred just before gunfire erupted at an Orinda Airbnb house party that left five people dead.

WATCH: CBSN Bay Area – 24/7 Digital News Channel from KPIX 5

"My concern is we have higher risk robbers now. The MO has changed," said Dietsch.

The most recent home invasion robbery happened in the Upper Happy Valley neighborhood the day before Thanksgiving. Police say three armed men walked through an open garage door, tied up the homeowners, assaulted them and got away with the valuables.

"We take this very seriously our priority is to prevent it but the next is to solve it once it happens," said Chief Ben Alldritt with the Lafayette Police Department.

Chief Alldritt shared tips on how the community can help to prevent and solve crimes. One suggestion is to install a camera. Many at this meeting seemed to be on board with the idea. For

Dietsch said her her neighborhood watch wants to do its part to help to protect Lafayette.

"Because the crimes are getting more violent, I think we are more open to the idea of installing cameras than we were five or six years ago," said Dietsch.

The Lafayette Police Department already has what it calls "situational awareness cameras" installed in the community. The police chief says the footage has been a big help to solve crimes.