STUART, Fla. — It's a new program designed to keep you safe.
This week, the Stuart Police Department launched a business watch program to help deter crime.
"We're trying to return back to more of a grassroots way of law enforcement," Officer Cory Lee said.
The program will give business owners more information on crime in the area and give them the opportunity to build relationships with local officers.
"Downtown Stuart is our main attraction, main tourism area, so we have to make sure this is constant safe place where people can bring their families to enjoy," Officer Lee said.
The owner of Gumbo Limbo was one of the first businesses to sign up.
"You know, in the most quiet places people say, 'I never though this would happen in my neighborhood,'" Patty O'Connell said.
Officer Lee said a woman was recently caught on camera stealing a dress from a local boutique.
In the surveillance video, you can see her walk into a fitting room with the dress and walk out with it in her purse.
Officer Lee said crimes like that aren't uncommon, even though property crimes in Stuart were down 5 percent in 2018.
"We want to remind people that travel to this city, if your intentions are not good that you will be arrested and we will put you in jail," Officer Lee said.
