According to police, holiday burglaries have come early this year.
Over the past three months, a string of 19 burglaries have occurred primarily in student apartment complexes in Southwest Gainesville.
Gainesville Police Department spokeswoman Summer Hallett said police think the burglaries are connected and attribute them to the holiday season.
"Typically we see a spike in burglaries around the holidays," Hallett said. "This year, they started earlier than we expected."
Since late September, the burglars have been kicking in the front doors of unoccupied houses or apartments and stealing high-value items such as laptops, jewelry, gaming systems and clothes, Hallett said.
Thirteen of the 19 addresses announced by GPD were in apartment complexes.
"There is no set time or day that they are happening," Hallett said. "They have been happening during the week, on weekends and during all hours of the day."
In many of the cases, the neighbors have reported hearing loud crashing noises coming from next door, she said.
"They don't call it in because they don't want to get in the middle of things not knowing what is actually going on next door," she said.
Hallett said she suggests students back up computer files and keep track of the serial numbers on their electronics.
"Some ways to help reduce break-ins are to always lock your doors and to set light timers," Hallett said.
