Agreeing that both building and vehicle burglaries have increased, police urge anyone who sees something unusual to call them.

"There's no such thing as a stupid call to the police," detective Lt. Darryl Johnson said.

"We constantly get calls from people who hear about something, and then later say, 'Oh yeah, I remember seeing something - I should have called then'."

Johnson said the department's odds of solving a burglary rise astronomically if they hear about it while it's in progress - and are even greater, of course, if they can catch the criminal in the act.

That's never possible if neighbors or witnesses wait a day or so to call them, he pointed out.

"Remember also, that if we catch one burglar, we can often solve dozens of crimes he's been associated with, and we can also recover property from several burglaries," Johnson said.