UPDATED: String of burglaries plagues local homes

Neighborhoods on the Swinomish Reservation are on edge this week, as seven burglaries occurred over night Tuesday and during the day on Wednesday and another was reported Thursday afternoon.

While each case varies, the Swinomish Police Department believes all seven, as well as four prior burglaries, are related.

The break-ins took place in the neighborhoods around Snee-Oosh and Pull & Be Damned roads and theHopeIslandarea.

Most of the items stolen were electronics. And many of the homes targeted have absentee owners.

The burglar may test to see if houses are empty by knocking on the door beforehand to see if anyone’s home, said Swinomish Police Chief Rick Balam. “People need to watch what’s going on,” he said.

The Swinomish Police urge residents to watch out for any sort of suspicious activity, and to take precautions to safeguard houses from prospective thieves.

Also, “let people know when you’re going to be gone” said Chief Balam.

The Chief couldn’t disclose specific information on how the burglaries occurred, as the investigation is ongoing.

However, police often see an increase in property crimes during summer months when people leave windows open while trying to cool down.

Chief Balam also noted the importance of writing down serial numbers of valuable electronics and other property, which makes it easier to identify and search for the items if they’ve been stolen.