Police on Long Island's Nassau County are urging homeowners to stay vigilant after burglaries spiked by 25 percent this year compared with the same time period in 2015.
Nassau County Police Chief Kevin Smith said the department is encouraging homeowners to be more security conscious by installing alarms and cameras after the recently-reported spike. Smith also said the department has also created a new unit targeting burglaries.
"You see this and sometimes it appears there is more crime than there actually is," Smith said of the spike.
He said that the new task force has already netted some early returns -- he said arrests in burglary cases are up by 8 percent so far this year, including one case where a Brooklyn man was caught with the ill-gotten rewards of 17 break-ins still in his apartment.
The spike comes as burglaries in neighboring Suffolk County fall. That county has seen a 16 percent decrease in 2016 compared with 2015.
Jim an Nora Ronan of Williston Park said that they're still tossing and turning in bed after a burglar ransacked their home, stealing family jewelry.
"53 years married and everything (Jim) bought me was gone," said Nora Ronan.
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She added, "You can never feel comfortable in your house again."
