Series of Home Burglaries Strike Perry Hall

Several home burglaries have recently struck the Perry Hall area, many involving jewelry theft, police reports show.

The burglaries appear to indicate a local trend, although only two appear to be related, according to of the .

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Thousands of dollars in valuables were taken from homes on . Both incidents, within a half a mile, were reported on Jan. 3. Police are investigating possible suspects and any connection between the burglaries, Balog said.

There are no known connections between reported home burglaries on , , , , , and since Jan. 1, Balog said.

The largest property loss reported in recent weeks occurred on on Jan. 13. About $8,000 in cash and $20,000 in jewelry were stolen from a home. A side basement window had been broken. The homeowner had left the home for approximately two hours in the middle of the day, a police report shows.

"Many of these are daytime incidents ... when they know people are at work or kids are at school," Balog said.

Additional patrol and plain clothes officers are upping their presence in Perry Hall neighborhoods, Balog said. Police are also working with precious metal dealers to find stolen jewelry.

Residents should keep their doors, sliding glass doors and windows locked during the day and also at night, he said.

Home alarms and owning a dog are popular protective measures, but don't replace the effectiveness of attentive neighbors, he added.

Residents should be on the lookout for unfamiliar people or vehicles traveling up and down streets or people cutting through backyards, Balog said.

"When you see something suspicious, something that just doesn't look right in the neighborhood, call us. There is no non-emergency number so call 911," Balog said.

"Call us as soon as you see something suspicious. Don't wait to post it as a comment on the Patch," he added.

Do you make an effort to look out for your neighbors? Would you call 911 if you saw someone suspicious in your neighborhood? Tell us in the comments.

Editor's Note: A detail about the point of entry in the Garland Avenue burglary has been updated.