Police: Burglaries on the rise in Petaluma

Home burglaries, car burglaries, business burglaries, all are escalating in Petaluma, reported police officials Tuesday.

In the last four months Petaluma police have investigated 47 burglaries, compared to 17 in the same time period last year, reported Lt. Tim Lyons.

Of those 22 were homes and 25 were businesses.

Most of the burglaries have occurred at night and have been in west Petaluma, concentrated in the area of East Washington and Petaluma Boulevard.

In 11 cases, burglars have smashed windows of businesses to get inside. They've taken cash registers from seven businesses and property from four, according to police reports.

Monday, $1000 in copper wire was stolen from a Petaluma Boulevard North construction site, said Lyons.

Someone had also stolen items from the site on Nov. 16.

Early this week residents reported substantial thefts of items from their homes on Quail Drive and Mark Drive.

And police arrested a 16-year-old girl Monday, suspecting she had burglarized a neighbor's Petaluma Boulevard South home.

Lyons said it was the second time the girl had gone into the home and stolen things.

All of the property was recovered.

Numerous unlocked cars have been targeted as well, he said.

Lyons asked for the public's help in reporting anyone acting suspicious late at night. He also reminded drivers to lock their cars and business owners to not leave cash overnight in their businesses.