Emotions were running high at a meeting on Monday night to discuss recent break-ins in the Westchester area.

According to BPD's Crime mapping there have been at least 15 burglaries in the downtown neighborhoods in the last month.

"I've gotten my car stolen back in August; we have people coming over and jumping over the fences,” said Tina Gutierrez.

One by one residents told BPD officers and councilmember Terry Maxwell about the problem.

"We've had some neighbors that have been broken into and a lot of stuff stolen from them and even people coming to the door wanting to borrow money out of nowhere" Jerrad Miles, a Westchester resident.

Many have taken matters into their own hands by installing cameras and gates and putting up no trespassing signs.

Councilmember Terry Maxwell says his property was also broken into and he thinks the issue could be resolved with more police patrol.

"If you have police officers that are free to roam into the neighborhoods and see people who shouldn't be there and ask them what are you doing here, it really helps because then those people know that they're being watched,” said Maxwell.

The Bakersfield police department says stopping these criminals is a team effort that can start by simply getting to know your neighbor.

Aside from communicating with your neighbors, bpd also recommends getting no trespassing signs and keeping your property well-lit to deter anyone from trying to break in.

BPD also wants neighbors to report any break-in or theft so they can keep track of what is going on the neighborhood.