Sykesville burglaries on the rise

During the past four months, the town has had three residential break-ins and an attempted one

Two burglaries and the attempted burglary occurred in apartments on Village Road. The third burglary happened last week on Central Avenue, Williams said.

Sykesville and Howard County police officers identified and arrested the suspect in one of the crimes on Village Road. The burglary on Central Avenue is under investigation and unrelated to the others, Williams said.

Mayor Jonathan Herman said the Town of Sykesville has an occasional peak in crime. “When we have a spike in thefts, it’s usually one or two people,“ he said.

Herman also said Sykesville hasn’t had “a real significant rise in crime.“

Town Councilman Mark Rychwalski agreed, and said that the recent burglaries are not an indication of a crime spree out of control.

According to Williams, there were 14 burglaries in Sykesville in 2006, of which three were attempted.

In 2005, Sykesville experienced nine burglaries, Williams said.

The community must be vigilant and aware, Herman said. He also encouraged residents to communicate with elected officials on the issues occurring in their neighborhoods.

Developing communication networks with neighbors, calling in suspicious activity to the police station and locking doors and windows are some of the things residents can do to stay safe, Williams said.

In addition, the Sykesville Police Department also offers free residential security surveys. In such a survey, a police officer is trained to evaluate a home’s unsafe areas and suggest solutions, Williams said.

Some of the possible solutions can be simple, Williams said, such as placing pins on the windows or making sure locks function.