A rash of burglaries in Catonsville homes has left residents uncomfortable and prompted police to increase their presence in the community.

Capt. John Spiroff, who commands the Wilkens Precinct, including Arbutus and Catonsville, said Oct. 12 that seven Catonsville residences have been burglarized since mid-September.

"(It's) sporadic throughout the entire Catonsville area," said Spiroff, who said that jewelry, money and electronics have been taken in the burglaries. "This time last year, we did not have this problem.

"We do not have any reason (for) why it's occurring here," he said.

The Wilkens Precinct, the third smallest of the county's 10 precincts, reported 481 burglaries in all of 2010 within its 25-square mile coverage area. That was down approximately 10 percent from 2009.

While data from police precincts in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel and Howard counties which border the Wilkens Precinct also indicate a recent increase in burglaries, Spiroff said, those numbers were not on the level of the seven local incidents in the span of a month.

"That keyed us to (thinking that) we got to do something quick on this," Spiroff said.

Spiroff theorized that Catonsville's several thoroughfares and its proximity to highways that allow for easy escapes may be partially to blame.

To combat the crime, Spiroff said he has implemented several "traditional and nontraditional" strategies.

In addition to the traditional use of patrol cars, more Wilkens police officers will be on foot and in plain clothes patrolling residential streets and alleys, Spiroff said.

"The key is for high visibility at times," Spiroff said.

Spiroff also has called for more traffic stops — not a means to raise revenue, he said.

By increasing the number of traffic stops, police may find drivers who are wanted for crimes, Spiroff said,

Additionally, anyone arrested for a crime who has a history of committing burglaries will be interrogated, Spiroff said.

Spiroff also has called for an increase in the number of field-interview reports.

A field interview report is done if police observe or are alerted to any suspicious individuals.

Even if the person hasn't committed a crime, the police still collect information and enter it into a database.

Still, the extra efforts may not be apparent to local residents.

Spiroff cited two reasons many may not notice the increased police presence.

The first is that sicne many of the burglaries have occurred during the day, increased patrols may occur during the day when most residents are at work..

Secondly, gathering information may require officers to dress in street clothes and drive unmarked vehicles.

Spiroff noted the extra efforts have led to the police targeting several people of interest.

"I don't want to displace this. I want to catch them," Spiroff said. "If I put it in Howard County, that's not right. Now we're going to have to help Howard County."

The onus does not fall solely on the police, Spiroff cautioned. He encouraged Catonsville residents to lock their doors and windows and to alert the police to any unusual activity.

"If you see something suspicious, call 911," Spiroff said.

Community takes step

Among those taking action is Catonsville resident Sherry Welch, who is organizing a Safety Summit for Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Christian Temple Christian Church, 5820 Edmondson Ave.

"I thought it would make sense this time of year with the holidays approaching," said Welch, noting that a struggling economy may mean more crime.

"People who might otherwise stay on the right side of the law do things they wouldn't do otherwise because they don't have jobs and things are tough."

At the meeting, which is open to Catonsville residents and those from surrounding communities, Spiroff and the police department's community outreach team will discuss how to prevent burglaries.

By organizing the Safety Summit, Welch said, she hopes to break people of bad habits, such as keeping doors and garages unlocked.

Welch, 59, has lived in Catonsville for 20 years and said her Somerset Road neighborhood is safe.

It has managed to avoid the recent spate of residential burglaries hitting the area, but the thefts still concern her.

"Catonsville is a small enough town that when you have those types of occurrences, you worry," Welch said.

"There were areas close to me (hit by crime) that I hadn't ever thought of before as unsafe," Welch said. "More can be done about public safety, but I just think it's something we have to do together (with the police)."