People in a couple small towns are beefing up their security after a rash of burglaries and car break-ins.

The Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department says the crimes are mostly in the southern half of the county. That includes Galesville, Trempealeau and Ettrick. The crimes have everyone talking and some people putting up cameras to catch future crooks.

Mickey Wood woke up Saturday morning to two smashed vehicle windows; another car was unlocked. He had to tell his step-son the thousand dollar stereo system he saved up for all summer was stolen.

"Your heart goes through your throat,” Wood says. “But, what can you do?"

Wood's cars and truck are three of around 20 that investigators say were broken-into recently. Most were unlocked. Around a dozen were in Ettrick; population just over 500.

"It's a very small town you wouldn't think it would happen here," Wood tells us.

A few miles up Highway 53, burglars hit Mary Foss' Beaches Corner Tavern the same night.

We "found out pretty fast how fast the world is changing and these small areas aren't as immune from crime as they once were," Foss says. “It's even strange now when I go into a drawer in my office and I’m like 'oh, who was in here touching this stuff?'"

"We want people to feel safe in their community and not have to live in any type of fear," says Lt. Harlan Reinders with the Trempealeau County Sheriff's Department.

Reinders says officers are working every day to solve the crimes. They include ones at eight businesses, a couple homes and the twenty-some car break-ins. But, he says every little tip helps—no matter how insignificant you might think it is.

"It's a piece of the puzzle and when you put them together it begins to make sense and that's what we're looking for," Lt. Reinders says.

"I just hope they catch the person or persons,” Foss says.

Since Saturday, Foss has put up several security cameras to safeguard her bar of almost 19 years. Wood is considering the same thing and hoping for the best.

"You'd like to figure out who it is and go pound the living daylights out of them,” he says jokingly. “But that's not nice. We'll let the law take care of it.”

The crimes all took place during the month of September. If you have any information on the Trempealeau County crime spree, call the sheriff's department at (715) 538-4351.