For several weeks last summer, Glen Adkins allegedly terrorized the Old Brooklyn neighborhood with a string of burglaries.
Kim Rodecker lives and works in the neighborhood.
"People were talking about it every day. They were worried," said Rodecker.
What neighbors didn't know at the time is that police believed Adkins was doing the same thing in other communities, too.
Rodecker knows all too well about how crime affects people. He teaches concealed carry courses.
"A lot of criminals move around," said Rodecker. "You can do more with a broader net."
That's why the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office started a crime strategies unit.
"We believe a small number of people are committing the large majority of crime," said Assistant Prosecutor Elina Thomas.
Thomas heads up the unit, which has helped prosecute those involved with a series of carjackings, dozens of burglaries and a string of ATM smash and grabs that were happening almost daily.
"We've been able to indict and prosecute successfully these individuals," said Thomas.
She said the majority of sentences have been lengthy jail time.
Prosecutors believe the same criminals are committing crimes in other cities and counties nearby, and even in some across the state. Nine people based in Cleveland have been indicted for breaking into cell phone kiosks at malls across Ohio and stealing a million dollars worth of cell phones.
"As far south as Cincinnati. In Toledo, Dayton, and Youngstown these individuals travel the state committing this crime over and over again," said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley.
