RASH OF BREAK-INS PLAGUE CARROLL GARDENS

One of the things I love most about reading the local Brooklyn newspapers is the police blog. I'm always curious about who's been burglarized, mugged or killed in my neighborhood. But, it gets a little eerie when the crime is happening within a few blocks of your home, or worst yet, right on it. Luckily, no bodies have shown up on my doorstep recently. But, take a look at the rash of burglaries reported in this week's Brooklyn Paper.

* Burglars raided a President Street apartment on Jan. 26 and stole a bevy of electronics.The 34-year-old resident told police that she was not at the home, which is between Smith and Hoyt streets, from 1 am to 10:40 pm. When she returned, she discovered that her front door was unlocked, and two laptops, a radio, a camera and computer accessories were gone.

* A burglar broke into a Union Street apartment and stole $7,700 from a poorly working safe.The 31-year-old resident of the building between Henry and Clinton streets said he left his abode at 3 pm on Jan. 29 and came home 3:50 pm on Feb. 2. He detected no forced entry into the apartment, but the vault-buster had cracked open the hiding place of all that cold hard cash.

* A thief jimmied open an apartment window on the fire escape of a Smith Street dwelling and stole some swell gadgets. The victim, 24, told police she was not home from 8 pm to 3 am the next day. To her horror, she found that the window pane had been knocked onto the floor and that her entire living quarters had been ransacked. She told police the villain took her Mac laptop and iPod from the building between Huntington and West Ninth streets.

* A remarkably similar incident occurred with an intruder climbing through a fire escape window into an apartment on Huntington Street that same night. A woman had left at 6 pm and returned at midnight to a comparable scene of disorder and an open window by the emergency exit. A 14-karat necklace and gold-link bracelet were taken.



That's four incidents in just a week within blocks of where I live. Despite the disturbing frequency, I'm comforted in knowing, these burglars probably won't hit my place. Here's why. They all have a common thread. That's right, in each case, the victims were away from their homes for long periods of time, sometimes, days. Playing junior detective, I would surmise that these thieves have been watching area homes, picking homes where it appears the homeowner has no intention of returning anytime soon. In all cases, the intruders never marched through the front doors and it appears as if they didn't enter apartments through publicly exposed entries.



For those of you living in the neighborhood, this is a reminder to be vigilant of the strangers lurking on our streets. It's also a wake up call to always keep your doors and windows locked and closed at all times. I'd also suggest installing motion detectors that automatically trip bright lights at entry points to your home and make sure you have a deadbolt. If nothing else, you'll get a break on homeowners or renters insurance.