The criminals are swiping wheels and rims from cars, trucks and SUVs. There was even a report of thieves stealing wheels off of a tractor-trailer.



The rise in this kind of theft is not lost on the police, in the middle of the night special teams of officers are on the hunt.



Byfield asked to ride along. She sat next to Officer Matt Gilstrap as he worked into the night.



Gilstrap is a part of Atlanta's Zone 6 Crime Suppression Unit. "In the time of night that they are doing it, for whatever reason, people aren't seeing it," he said.



While Byfield was in the car, close to midnight, Gilstrap and his team zeroed in on the Virginia Highland neighborhood.



Gilstrap drove a marked vehicle, while others on the team manned unmarked cars.



In Zone 6, year to year, wheel and rim thefts are up 137 percent.



Gilstrap told Byfield catching the criminals is not easy because they are fast. "We think it is a lot of 'crime of opportunity,'" he said. He added that the tree-lined streets make it easy for the criminals to conceal their activity.



Several victims told Byfield the missing wheels and rims are only part of the problem.