A downturn in the economy is leading to an uptick in crime including property crimes, thefts and bad checks, according to Beloit Police Captain Bill Tyler. He says he can't cite specific numbers but whenever there's a downturn in the economy those sorts of crimes increase.
Tyler says people who are living paycheck-to-paycheck don't have a safety net so even an eight hour cut in pay can have devastating results. The income loss can put people in situations, "they normally wouldn't be in."
Rock County has one of the highest unemployment rates in Wisconsin.
Beth Wheelock-WCLO contributed to this report
AUDIO: Brian Moon reports (MP3 :51)
