Shelby County is growing in many ways … businesses and subdivisions are on the rise. At the same time, traffic is increasing on the roads and schools are being pushed to capacity as the school system receives an average of about 1,000 new students per year. And then there is crime.

According to Shelby County 9-1-1&8217;s 2000-2005 comparison, fire and EMS dispatches increased 40 percent and sheriff events increased 25 percent over the five year period.

Recently Shelby County and municipal law enforcement officials have had to deal with the homicide of a woman and two home invasions and robberies.

There was the woman&8217;s body found near Columbiana, the home invasion that left two teens tied up at a home off Caldwell Mill Road and the home invasion that left four people bound in Alabaster.

While these types of crime are not daily events in Shelby County, they are certainly not without precedent. Bodies have been found in the woods and people have been violated in their own homes before in Shelby County.

And while Shelby County and our municipalities all have outstanding law enforcement departments, there are some common sense things that we all must do to protect themselves, their family and their property.

According to the Shelby County Sheriff&8217;s Office, to avoid home invasion, you should not open your door to anyone you don&8217;t know, day or night. You should have outdoor lighting and lights with motion sensors. When asked for help by strangers, notify authorities.

We believe that this advice is good and that the public should do all it can to avoid falling victim to strangers with criminal intent