Durham firefighters are sounding the alarm after car break-ins at half a dozen stations in the last year.
WRAL previously covered the break-ins in January of 2025. The issue has persisted in Durham.
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“It's not fair to ask our firefighters to not worry about their personal belongings or their vehicles while they're trying to protect the citizens of Durham,” Jason Davis, the president of the Professional Firefighters of Durham told WRAL.
Davis says the situation is frustrating and expensive.
“Not only do they have to pay a deductible, but then it also is negative points on their insurance because they have to file an insurance claim, so that hurts them there to where they may end up having to pay a higher rate for their insurance,” Davis said.
During the March 19 Durham City Council work session, firefighter Meredith Carter also asked city council members for help.
“More than a third of our fire stations have experienced personal vehicle break-ins within the last year,” Carter said.
Carter said a broken window costs between $250 and $300 to replace, and firefighters are paying that cost out of pocket. She asked council to consider funding secure fencing.
"Our members are not asking for video footage of a suspect breaking into our vehicle. Our members are asking for the break-in to never happen in the first place,” Carter said.
WRAL asked the City of Durham what steps have been taken.
City staff shared an email sent by City Manager Bo Ferguson to City Council members in early March, outlining the following steps:
- Immediate Deterrents: Utilizing light-duty personnel for station presence, increasing DPD and Sheriff patrols, and deploying temporary cameras and warning signage.
- Security Assessments: DPD is conducting CPTED assessments to identify environmental and structural vulnerabilities.
- Capital Funding: We have submitted a $400,000 FY27 CIP request to install or upgrade security camera systems at all stations.
- Physical Barriers: We are evaluating the costs and logistics of adding security fencing and motorized gates to existing facilities.”
Davis points to other lots around the city that are fenced in.
“If you look at city hall, a lot of a lot of them have a parking area that's there at city hall that's fenced in, or below city hall in the garage that is gated. It's the same thing with our fleet services, the police department; a lot of those lots where other employees are able to park are fenced in and secure ours are not,” Davis said. "We feel like it's a reasonable request to have our lots fenced in. We understand that there is a financial burden on it."
He argues fencing is proactive, rather than reactive.
"I don't want to watch somebody break into my vehicle,” Davis said. “I want to prevent them from breaking into my vehicle."