TYLER, Texas — Tyler police are investigating a string of burglaries that occurred Saturday evening in The Cascades neighborhood.
Residents reported three home burglaries between the hours of 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. According to residents at the cascades, the homes targeted had something in common: obvious signs that the home was empty.
Now residents and Tyler police have a message for East Texans.
Derrith Bondurant lives in The Cascades and posted a message to her Facebook page hours after the incident saying it's up to each neighbor to be vigilant and take care of one another.
She said the homes that were targeted had security systems and cameras but that did not stop the burglars.
"Nobody injured or anything but there were some items taken those are still under investigation and well get everybody contacted if not already by the detectives already assigned by the cases, Tyler Police Public Information Officer Andrew Erbaugh said.
While the incidents are unfortunate, the families involved now have a message for other East Texans. The homeowners believe they were targeted because of certain things.
Some left their trash bins outside their home for an extended period of time, others posted to social media saying they were out of town.
"We don't often have a lot of residential burglaries, people breaking into homes, when we do it's usually one person a group of people that hit an area at one time, Erbaugh said.
Tyler police said while break-ins are not common in the city, it's important to be vigilant and aware of basic home safety tips during the holiday season.
Here's what police recommend:
- Do not leave valuable items sitting by windows, always lock your doors, and set an alarm if you can when leaving your home.
- Do not post or check-in on social media if you are leaving town, wait until you get back to post.
- If you can, invest in a security camera or alarm for your home.
- If you see something, say something.
Adding to the tips from police, residents at The Cascades said getting to know your neighbors is extremely important.
In the most recent case, one of the residents said their alarm system went off but did they did not have neighbors check in on it. Get to know those around you and keep their phone number handy.