Rash of home burglaries hits Petaluma

Petaluma police are urging residents to do a simple thing to help prevent home burglaries: lock your doors and windows.|

Petaluma police are urging residents to do a simple thing to help prevent home burglaries: lock your doors and windows.

After responding to 18 burglaries in August — double the monthly average — police are asking residents to be more vigilant.

On Tuesday last week, officers responded to yet another burglary, which matched in some ways the most common burglaries in Petaluma. It was in the southeast part of town, during the daytime, and the point of entry was an unlocked window.

Of the 85 residential burglaries reported in Petaluma this year, thieves entered through an unlocked door or window 86 percent of the time, police said. In only 14 percent did the burglars break in.

Almost three-quarters of the crimes occurred between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

About the same number, 73 percent, occurred in the east side of town. Of those, 46 percent were in the southeast beat, south of East Washington Street and east of Highway 101. The other 27 percent were north of East Washington and east of the freeway.

Of the west side burglaries, all but a few of them were south of Washington and Bodega Avenue.

On Tuesday, police responded to a daytime burglary in the 1000 block of Daniel Drive, where the resident said the house had been burgled sometime between 8 a.m. and noon. It is believed the suspects entered through an unlocked back bedroom window, Lt. Ken Savano said, and the suspects made off with jewelry and electronics.

Most of the crimes happen during the day when people are away from home.

The suspect or suspects usually knock at the front door to see if anyone is home, Savano said. They often enter through unsecured rear yards, unlocked sliding glass doors, garage doors and unlocked or open windows.

Before August, residential burglary reports have averaged just over nine a month.

Lt. Tim Lyons said police are exploring a number of suspect leads based on the common traits of most of the crimes.

Students skipping school may be responsible for some of the crimes, investigators said. People may also be leaving more windows open because of the heat, or homeless residents from camps in the southeast part of town could be responsible for thefts from nearby homes.

Most of the items stolen are portable, Lyons said, such as jewelry, CDs and DVDs, laptops.

'Small stuff you can throw in a backpack or under your arm and walk out and no one might notice,' he said, 'not like 50-inch TVs.'

Police recommend locking all exterior doors with deadbolts and locking windows or putting dowels in the tracks; installing outside lights, including motion detectors; picking up newspapers, trash cans or other items that otherwise left in front of the house might signal no one is home; considering an alarm or alarm company stickers in the windows; and leaving lights, TVs or radios on to make your home look occupied.

Also, Savano said, store commonly stolen or valuable items — including tablets, laptops, cameras, jewelry, cash or credit cards, and prescription medications — out of view from windows or doors.

'Be vigilant and don't hesitate to call 911 for activity you believe to be suspicious in your neighborhood,' Savano said.

If you find yourself the victim of a burglary, police recommend staying out of the house and calling police immediately: 911 for emergencies or 778-4326 for crimes in progress.

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.

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