Last summer, residents in the East Birchwood section of Jericho were hit with a string of burglaries and within the past month the incidents have started up again. According to police officers in the second precinct, there was one reported burglary in April, one in May and the most recent one took place on June 2, all in the East Birchwood area.

Although detectives are working on some leads and police officers are patrolling the area, the best protection against being burglarized is being observant and cautious. The best leads, according to police officers in the 2nd squad, come from neighbors seeing something suspicious and calling 911.

"There are extra patrols in the area," said an officer from the 2nd precinct. "Whatever we can afford is out there. Whenever there are extra bodies available, which there are not that many extra bodies available, we send them out. That is why we have to rely on calls from people seeing someone or something suspicious."

Local police officers strongly suggest that residents purchase timers for indoor and outdoor lights. Other tips that local police offers suggest to protect homes are checking on door-to-door solicitors. Call the local precinct or 911 and verify that the solicitors are legitimate and ask to see their identification. Also, motion detector lights are important for outdoor lamps. Keep all valuables in a bank and do not keep cash or jewelry in a jewelry box. Based on past patterns, the burglars are not in the house long and don't have time to search for valuables.

There are some other patterns that the burglars are setting. Most incidents have occurred in the evening. "They look to see if you are not home from work yet," said an officer from the 2nd precinct. "They drive through the neighborhood during the day, pick out suspected houses and hit that evening if there is no change at the house or if the lights are still off. They also usually go in the rear of the house, but some in front."

Police suspect the burglars are two groups of people. They are currently trying to connect with other agencies and work together to further investigate the incidents.

The Birchwood Civic Association has been in touch with the 2nd precinct to work with them on this case. " We are concerned," said Michael J. Heller, president of the Birchwood Civic Association. "People in the community should be the eyes and ears. Although there are several increased patrols in the area, they can't do everything. They need our help. Please report any activity that is out of the normal."

Police officers advise residents to call 911 immediately if they notice something suspicious. Auxiliary Officers are also assisting in solving these burglaries.

Representatives from the local precinct will be at the next meeting of the Birchwood Civic Association, which will be Tuesday, June 18 at 8:15 p.m. at the Jackson School. They will be available to provide more information and to answer questions.