Sep 7, 2007

Police warn of burglary spree

Sheriff: Nearly 20 residences burgled in past few weeks

By Shannon Burkey / MediaNews

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department is urging Saratoga residents to take precautions to secure their homes after nearly 20 residential burglaries have taken place in the city over the past few weeks.

"We are being hit with an increased number of burglaries at this time," Capt. Terry Calderone of the sheriff's department said. "They are hitting pretty regularly, during the daytime, and it's pretty well spread out throughout the city."

Calderone said the means to gain entry into the homes is the same in all cases, typically by using an unlocked window or door in the rear of the house.

There are currently no suspects.

West San Jose and Cupertino have also been hit with a high number of the same type of burglaries.

Residents are advised to take normal precautions, such as locking and securing all doors and windows before leaving the house, even if only for a short period of time. Calderone also said residents should advise neighbors if they plan to go out of town and have them pick up mail and newspapers.

Most of the recent burglaries have occurred in the middle of the day.

"If residents notice anything unusual or suspicious, give us a call," Calderone said. "We would much rather go out and find an innocent party than to have to find people having been burglarized."

To report suspicious activity, residents may call 911 from their landline or 408-299-2311 from their cell phones.