ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, SportsCrime Stoppers Jan. 3: Elaborate liquor store break-in

*Surveillance video from these cases will be seen Tuesday night on ABC 33/40 News at 10:00 and again Wednesday on Good Morning Alabama.  The video will be uploaded to our main site Wednesday morning.*

They had a plan.

They clearly had knowledge about the store.

And at 12:46 on the morning on December 5, they went into action.

Now, Crime Stoppers is asking for anonymous tips to help detectives identify and locate any of three men who are seen breaking into an ABC liquor store off Morgan Road in Bessemer.

Surveillance video shows the first part of the plan was for one suspect to get on the shoulders of another suspect and start bashing out an overhead light mounted on the side of the store.

"From my experience, criminals, burglars are a lot like cockroaches; they don't like light," Jefferson County Sergeant Brian Allison said.  "They don't like noise.  They don't like any kind of attention."

Once the light was out, the men could be seen trying to get inside the store.

"They knock a hole in the wall using some sort of tool, reach in, and disable the alarm system," Allison said.

The men walked off and waited for a while to make sure the alarm would not go off and alert police.  Once they figured the coast was clear, they made their way inside.

"Once they entered the store through that hole, they take a grinder into the manager's office, use that grinder to open a safe, and steal $5,000 in cash," Allison said.

The burglars apparently got a lot of Hennessy cognac and Grey Goose vodka.

"Whether they had been in the store as a customer, whether they knew somebody who had worked, or does work, at the store is not known," Allison added.

While the three burglars did a good job covering their faces, one of them was seen wearing a unique jacket.

"The guy who's busting out the light is wearing a number 7, or a '07' Clint Bowyer, Jack Daniel's racing jacket," Allison said.

Crime Stoppers hopes someone can help detectives figure out who the men are.

"As comfortable as they work together, they're going to hang out together," Allison said.  "It's going to be a group of three guys.  They're going to have $5,000 more than they had the day before."

Detectives believe the men could also be connected to a recent, similar burglary at a service station in Dora.

If you know of any clues that could help detectives, Crime Stoppers will keep you anonymous.  Caller ID is never used, and Crime Stoppers cannot call you to court to testify.  Detectives only want your tip -- not your name.

Each person who calls receives a private code number.  If an arrest is made based on an individual's tip, the tipster can use the code number to claim a cash reward.  Even then, detectives will only know you by the code number -- not your name.

TO HELP IN THIS CASE:  You can call Crime Stoppers around-the-clock at (205) 254-7777.

Also, you can text 7777, along with your tip, to the word "CRIMES."  Or if you prefer to send an encrypted tip online, go to www.birminghamcrimestoppers.org and click on the "submit an online tip" link.

No matter which method you choose, you will remain anonymous.

Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama is a partnership between local law enforcement, the Birmingham Business Alliance and ABC 33/40.  Together, our goal is to make our community a safer place to live and work.