South Side residents warned anew

South Minneapolis residents cautioned to take steps to prevent burglaries.

Star Tribune

Last update: October 2, 2008 - 9:22 PM

For the second time in just over a week, Minneapolis police are urging residents in several South Side neighborhoods to lock their doors and secure windows and garages.

The latest warning was issued for the Keewaydin, Minnehaha, Wenonah and Morris Park neighborhoods, where there have been 30 home and 11 garage burglaries since early August, police said. There also have been several vehicle break-ins.

In most cases, crooks have entered dwellings through open or unlocked windows. In other cases they have cut screens and reached in to snatch items, police said.

Last week police warned residents of the Page, Hale and Diamond Lake neighborhoods that there have been 26 residential burglaries since Aug. 1. That warning came two days before they warned residents in the Hale, Diamond Lake, Regina, Field and Northrop neighborhoods, where there have been nine armed robberies since Sept. 4.

Lt. Arthur Knight said people should call police if they notice strangers walking in yards or between houses, hear breaking glass or loud banging, or see unfamiliar trucks or vans lingering in an alley. "Pay attention to your pet's reactions, too," he said.

In one case, a homeowner's dog ran downstairs growling. The homeowner went downstairs and didn't see anything. In the morning she found a screen had been cut and her purse was missing, Knight said.

Residents can attend a free personal safety workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16 at Washburn High School, 201 W. 49th St.

TIM HARLOW

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