Burglars use tools to cut into Ga. Power office - Los Angeles Local News, Weather, and Traffic

Police say an experienced group of burglars broke into a Georgia Power office in Fayetteville.

Surveillance video shows the burglars, dressed in solid black colors, entering a Goodwill store in Fayetteville after using a tool to pry off a lock.

That Goodwill store is next door to a Georgia Power office on Glynn Street in Fayetteville. The thieves used Goodwill as kind of a base of operation to attack the adjacent power company.

"They actually cut holes in the wall so they could see into the Georgia Power office before they removed the sheet rock, which tells me they were trying to get the layout of the land," said Det. Mike Whitlow of the Fayetteville Police Department.

Police say it was a methodical, well-planned crime.

"They took almost three hours to complete this, weren't in any particular hurry about it. They had obviously planned this out well in advance," said Whitlow.

Police say the burglars cut their way into the Georgia Power office, and attempted to disarm the surveillance system but were unsuccessful.  They used big tools to pry open the door to a steel safe inside the power company. They then removed the cash from the safe.

Police say the whole operation points to the burglars being pros.

"Normally these guys want to be in and out as quick as possible and be gone from the area as quickly as possible. These guys didn't seem to be concerned about that," said Whitlow.

Authorities said that the specialized skills involved mean that the men have probably been involved in other crimes. Anyone with information on their identity is urged to contact the Fayetteville Police Department at (770) 461-4441.