SHARON HILL — A rash of burglaries in the borough has prompted an investigation and extra police patrols, Police Chief Joseph Kelly said yesterday.
The burglaries, which started in early August, are occurring in two ways, Kelly said. The burglar either cuts or removes a screen from an open window or walks into a house through an open front or back door. In most cases, the burglar has taken cash, women's purses or other easily carried valuables that are in plain view.
Of several burglaries committed Monday night, one especially disturbed police, Kelly said. In that incident, a burglar walked into a home in the vicinity of Barker Avenue and confronted a resident.
"He said he had a gun," Kelly said, "but no weapon was displayed." The burglar got away with $100 in cash, Kelly said.
The chief said he did not know exactly how many burglaries had occurred since early August. He said that burglaries tended to increase in the summer, but that Sharon Hill had not experienced a spate of them for several years. ''It seems like it goes in spurts," he said.
Kelly advised residents to keep doors and windows locked, even while they are at home. He said valuables should be kept out of the view of anyone who might look in the windows or doors.
Residents who see anything suspicious should call police at 237-6200.
