Police offer residence checks to deter burglars

Cloquet Police are reminding residents this week that anyone planning to be out of town for a period of time can contact the department to arrange for residence checks while they are away. According to Detective Darrin Berg, home burglaries have been on the rise in the area for the past several months, lately averaging some four to five burglaries a week.

“Though we’ve been pretty successful in tracking down the people who are responsible,” said Berg, “there are still some cases that remain open.”

Berg said a large proportion of the burglaries have been committed while the homeowners are out of town. He said city residents can contact police before going out of town and inform them of their expected time away, whether there will be vehicles left in the driveway and other information regarding the time period they will be absent, and officers will make every attempt possible to keep an eye on their property.

“Many of the burglaries have taken place right in the middle of town,” said Berg, “– on 10th Street, 12th Street, 16th Street, 21st Street. Since many people have their air conditioning running right now, the neighbors aren’t always able to hear if someone is trying to break in to the house next door.”

Anyone planning to be out of town can call Cloquet Police at 218-879-1247 to arrange for residence checks while they are away.

Tags: carlton county, news, crime