Source: Local 6 Fla

SANFORD, Fla. -- Families in a crime-ridden Central Florida neighborhood are arming themselves with shotguns and talking about adding electric barbed wire to stop thieves targeting their homes.

"Somebody is going to end up getting hurt," resident Andrea Fine said. "The homeowners are tense. We are all on edge. For the first time in my life I'm really scared to live in my home."

Homeowners living near and on Sanford Avenue in Sanford said crime is so bad that some of them have been robbed three times.

"We were told they would come back and they came back," homeowner Pat Doughty said.

She is one of several residents who have armed themselves and plan to go to extremes to protect their property. "My next thing is to put electric and probably some barbed wire or something," Doughty said. "I'm shooting the next person who comes in. Don't come on my property anymore." Doughty said she is moving because of the crime.

"My kids call every day to make sure we are safe," Doughty said. "They want us to move and we are going to move because we can't put up with the crime." Families said they want more police patrolling. But plans to add 10 more Sanford police officers could be in jeopardy because of budget cuts, Local 6's Erik von Ancken reported. The city's police chief said he is working on a solution.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.