Police on Alert After Winter Spike in Burglaries

As the hours of daylight decrease week by week, the number of house break-ins has seen a spike during evening hours. Police say they are stepping up patrols in an effort to tighten the noose around these opportunistic thieves and provide residents with peace of mind.

Though police have made recent arrests, the number of burglaries since November has reached 15 in Cedar Grove. November saw the largest single-month spike, with 10 burglaries compared to an average of three, Cedar Grove Police Chief Richard Vanderstreet said Monday.

"Based on an analysis of the recent burglaries, most of them have occurred between 4-7 p.m. This time of year it gets dark early, so you can speculate that it's easier for a burglar to identify a vacant home."

One of January's three burglaries took place last Monday, Jan. 16. A police report says a Woodstone Drive residence was broken into and ransacked between 10:30 a.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Vanderstreet says the department is taking the matter very seriously, and has redoubled its efforts and resources to prevent future burglaries.

"We've increased patrols on residential streets including side streets during those hours, with marked and unmarked patrol vehicles. Officers' hours have been shifted around to dedicate more resources to neighborhood streets."

Recent reports have shown a tactic favored by the would-be burglars is to ring  doorbells to determine whether a resident is at home before attempting to break in. Vanderstreet says once inside, burglars have stolen money and jewelry from the victims' homes.

Vanderstreet points to in Cedar Grove, as well as the arrest of serial burglars in Verona and in Bergen County, as evidence that police are mobilized and proactively working to catch more suspects, but says residents play an important role in obstructing burglaries.

"Residents know their neighborhoods. They know when they see someone or something out of place. We continue to encourage people to call the police when they see something out of the ordinary."

Verona Police Chief Douglas Huber could not be immediately reached for comment.