URBANDALE, Iowa — Urbandale Police are stepping up patrols in a neighborhood targeted by burglars.
Four homes were broken into during the early morning hours of June 24 and the suspects tried to get into about a dozen others. Police say all the homes had one thing in common. Unlocked doors.
“The suspect or suspects were entering the rear of the residences. They were walking through the backyards and they were checking for unlocked doors,” said Urbandale Police Officer Andrew Dobbins.
In some cases, the burglars broke in and rummaged through the first floor while the homeowners were asleep upstairs. All but a few of the burglaries and attempted burglaries were between 86th and 92nd Streets north of Meredith Drive.
“I felt invaded,” described Jim Bast.
Bast woke up around 4 AM Friday to find his back sliding door wide open and his 50 inch screen TV gone.
“It’s on me. I left the door open. I left it unlocked so we had a little security meeting with the family to make sure we double-check and triple-check,” said Bast.
The Urbandale Police Department wants neighbors to be on alert and safeguard their homes.
“When you go to bed at night, do a walk around inside your house. Make sure your front door is locked, make sure your slider is locked, make the door going in from your garage to your residence is locked . Make sure the garage door, the main door is shut,” said Dobbins.
Anyone with information about the burglaries should contact police.