South Minneapolis burglaries: Fridays, 4 pm to 6 pm see spike
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The Minneapolis Police Department sent a crime alert to residents in the Third Precinct after reports of 77 home burglaries in April – a 45 percent increase from the same time last year. The burglaries occurred throughout the precinct, the city’s largest, which is bounded by Interstate 35W on the west, Interstate 94 on the north, the Mississippi River on the east and 62nd Street on the south.
Burglary breakdown
22 burglaries (28%) occurred on Fridays.
18 burglaries (23%) occurred between 4 PM and 6 PM.
58 burglaries (75%) occurred during daylight hours.
23 burglaries (29%) occurred during the hours of darkness.
60 burglaries occurred in homes, and 21 of those were unforced.
17 burglaries were garage break-ins, and 4 (24%) were unforced.
The Minneapolis Police Department is adding patrols in the hardest hit areas and reminding homeowners of burglary prevention measures:
Keep your doors and windows locked; both your home and your garage.
Install effective security hardware (e.g. good deadbolt locks, high security strike plates) to make it more difficult for someone to force their way in to your home or garage.
Install good lighting around your property.
Keep outside lights on at night, especially around entrances.
Make sure your house number is lighted and visible.
Cover garage windows and permanently secure them, so thieves cannot see what you have in your garage or easily enter.
Keep an eye out on your neighbor's homes and yards. If you see someone who appears to be "casing" property call 911 immediately.
Get to know your neighbors. Form a block club so you can get to know one another and more easily share information.
If you suspect someone is in your home, do not enter. Retreat and call 911.