The West Racine area has seen a rash of burglaries to homes and garages recently, according to Racine police.

Since July 1, police have taken 33 reports of break-ins or attempted burglaries to area homes - sometimes while the home owners are there.

The area that has been hit over the past six weeks is roughly bounded by Spring Street to the north, 16th Street to the south, West Boulevard to the East and Highway 31 to the West.

"This is above and beyond the norm," said Lt. Jim Dobbs, a spokesman for the police department.

Thousands of dollars worth of tools, lawn equipment, jewelry, firearms, bicycles and computers have been taken. In some cases, purses containing wallets, cash, credit cards and check books have been stolen right off kitchen tables.

The offenders are gaining entry into homes through unsecured windows on the first floor - often back bedroom and kitchen windows that cannot be seen from the street - and basement windows, police said. In many of those burglaries, the suspects are taking out screens and entering open windows.

Entry is also being made to garages through service doors. In cases where the garage is attached to the house, the burglars also get inside the home.

In at least three cases, someone was home when the burglary or burglary attempt was made. One of the break-ins happened when a home owner was in the backyard with friends. She heard noise from her garage and discovered the burglar had fled with lawn equipment. In another case, a woman heard a noise coming from a back bedroom and saw the offender - who then fled through the open window he had come in from.

However, in many cases the burglaries have happened during the day when the homeowners are at work. This has made it difficult to put a suspect description together. In three of the incidents, descriptions have been given of suspicious people, but none of them match each other.

Then on Monday, during a burglary in the 900 block of Oregon St., a witness got a good look at the suspect. He was described as a white man between the ages of 18 to 25, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, white short, blonde hair and facial stubble. At the time of the burglary he was wearing a white hat, white shirt and dark blue shorts. The offender fled the house on a red bicycle, possibly with balloon tires.

That burglary occurred at 4:10 p.m. Reports said the suspect used an outdoor chair to access a back window, similar to the way other homes in the area have been entered.

Police are asking people living in the West Racine area to be mindful of the security of their homes, making sure that windows and doors are locked when they are not home, even if they only plan to leave for a short time.

Neighbors are also being asked to keep an eye out for suspicious people, who may be cutting through yards or loitering in the neighborhood during the day. People are asked to call police at (262) 635-7700 immediately if they witness such activities.

To report a crime in progress, neighbors are asked to call 911.

The police department does not want anyone to approach or try to apprehend an offender. Instead, try to get a good description of them and any vehicle they may be using - specifically license plate numbers.