An increase in crime in Natomas has sparked an outcry from residents. But businesses in the area say they've seen little impact – and those that have been hit say they're taking precautions and staying put.

During a three-week period in June, police said robbers pulled off 15 home invasions and 14 street holdups in North and South Natomas. Police said handguns were used in most of those crimes.

A dozen people ages 15 to 20 ultimately were arrested, but critics complained that police resources are stretched too thin.

Like the rest of the city, the number of property crimes in the Natomas area dropped during the first half of 2008, but it remains relatively high, according to a Bee analysis of police data. During the past 12 months, Natomas residents were almost 15 percent more likely to fall victim to property crime than residents elsewhere in the city, according to the analysis.

Still, many retail stores in North Natomas reported little concern about crime rates. Most store managers and employees said they were more concerned about rents, the wobbly economy and shaky consumer confidence.

For their part, North Natomas business operators who have experienced crime in the past said they like the area and the people. But they're being careful.

"We will remain in the area, and I have no doubt that, with all the attention about the area and police presence, it will get better," said Jana Sanders Perry, an account executive and events/promotions specialist with Merlot Marketing. The firm's offices are in a building just south of Del Paso Road and Interstate 5.

Merlot was burglarized in August last year. The crime shook up employees, but Perry said the business responded by adding exterior surveillance cameras to its already existing interior cameras.

She said surrounding businesses also got together to hire a private security firm and have security gates installed at the office park entrances.

Those gates recently foiled a would-be criminal, according to police.

Last month, according to a police investigation, a driver tried to ram through one of the gates, which recoiled and smashed through the vehicle's windshield or side windows.

"That was poetic justice," said Dave Alden, who co-owns the legal services firm, Legal.com, along Duckhorn Drive in North Natomas.

Alden said his wife and business co-owner, Sally, was instrumental in organizing businesses to have the security gates installed following a string of break-ins last summer.

"We're all paying more to have an enhanced security company," Dave Alden said. "In that regard, we responded individually and as a group. Knock wood, we've had no break-ins this summer."

He said he and his wife are "committed to this area."

They're so pleased, in fact, that they're expanding operations, building an addition onto the Legal.com building.

Perry said staying in North Natomas has advantages that all businesses can understand: "It's almost ideal for us. We're close to downtown and the airport, and there are advantages when it comes to the cost for rent compared with midtown."

For retailers in the area, the slow economy and the continued housing slump are the dominant worry.

"The economy and foreclosures have definitely affected things," said Dorian Huezo at Hair Mania, a hairstyling shop that opened almost a year ago in a retail plaza along Club Center Drive. "I have talked to people who wanted to open a business out here, but they have not done that because of the economy.

"It's just not a good time."

Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184. The Bee's Phillip Reese contributed to this report.