AUBURN -- Police in Auburn are investigating a string of burglaries.
Investigators say several businesses on West Genesee Street have been broken into over the past few weeks. Officers won't give an exact number, but we found at least three businesses that have been victimized.
At B.B.'s Pizza, Anthony Vander Werff says the shop has been burglarized twice this year along. More than $5,000 has been stolen. In the second robbery at the shop, the suspect kicked in the back door. Vander Werff says the break-ins hit the small family restaurant hard. "A lot of cabinets were all flipped over, our coolers were flipped over our filing cabinets were left wide open so they got us for a couple of thousand dollars worth of damage," he says.
Police say this isn't the first time there's been a string of burglaries in the area. Officers say 13 burglaries were reported between the end of October and middle of December last year. All of those burglaries happened at businesses.
Police believe the latest burglaries are related. Officers are increasing patrols, and working with businesses to educate them on steps they can take to increase security. For example, police are encouraging businesses to install lighting behind the stores and on the back doors, since almost all the break-ins have been overnight in poorly lit areas.
B.B.'s Pizza has now installed a metal reinforced door. The shop is planning to install security cameras. Vander Werff says they are also keeping watch over the restaurant at night. "We usually are here at two and three in the morning making sure the back door hasn't been kicked in," he says.
