WEST PASCO -- Action news spotted a crime trend, now Pasco Police say they've got a problem in their town.

Pasco Police told Action News the number of homes broken into is up.

Last month, we told you about a string of breaks-ins where nearly 30 homes were hit.

This month, that number's jumped to almost 50, and it's only the 14th.

All this time, Pasco Police insisted no neighborhoods were specifically targeted.

But we weren't convinced, so we went back to the department looking for answers.

"There's not a specific neighborhood that's being targeted," Pasco Police Captain Jim Raymond said.

Pasco P.D. has said this to Action News before, and again on Wednesday: there is not one specific neighborhood targeted for crime.

And yet, on Wednesday, we spotted a West Pasco homeowner protecting his place from burglars with a home security system.

He claims it was to protect himself from the burglars hitting Truman Lane.

Action News asked neighbors if they noticed the homeowner installing the security system.

"No, maybe we should look into that," Katie Whitaker said, a homeowner next to Truman Lane.

Their street is close to Truman lane, and Truman Lane is named in a news release from Pasco listing 43 homes burglarized in April.

They listed 13 so far this month, mostly in West Pasco.

"That's a lot," Whitaker said. "That surprises me, I thought we were in a little safe neighborhood."

"It's pretty startling actually, that they're doing that, whoever is doing that," Truman Lane Homeowner Scott Kackland said."It does concerns me quite a bit, quite honestly."

Police said the culprits are a group of hispanic and white males in their late teens, and like last month's rash of breaks-ins, the burglars have the same M.O.

Cops said the burglars canvas the neighborhoods looking for people who aren't home during the day, knock on the door, and if no one answers, kick their way in.

Pasco P.D. said they steal cash, computers, credit cards, jewelry and guns.

"They're day time burglaries, which make's it even scarier," Truman Lane homeowner Tim Jdietzen said.

Police are confident a majority of the burglaries are connected, but Captain Jim Raymond wasn't convinced Truman was a hot spot.

So I showed Raymond Pasco's very own crime mapping website.

What about Truman street?

"What about Truman street?" Raymond asked.

That neighborhood's not being targeted either?

"Well anytime there's a burglary occuring during the day with that M.O., then it's a targeted neighborhood, but they're not selective to any one neighborhood," Raymond said.

Their own release showed Truman's been hit several times.

So even if burglaries are hitting up homes all over the city, how many homes have to be broken into in one neighborhood before it's considered a crime spot?

For instance, if Truman Street, no matter the duration of time, has been hit five times in two weeks?

"Then yes, that would be a target of opportunity," Raymond said. "If you have one burglary happen, it's an incident, if you have three burglaries, it's a problem, it's a problem."

Even if these guys don't break into your home, cops said there's another problem.

Raymond said that if someone does answer the door, these guys are very aggressive and pushy. They've asked to use the phone or come inside.

Police warn: don't let them in, close the door and call the cops right away.

Pasco police have extra patrols in some of the problem areas.


----- PASCO POLICE PRESS RELEASE -----

CONTACT: Captain J.D. Raymond
PHONE NUMBER : 509-545-3482
DATE: May 9, 2008 TIME: 12:00 P.M.
SUBJECT: Residential Burglaries Increasing.

Residential homes in central and west Pasco are being burglarized during the weekdays at an increasing rate. There have been 43 residential burglaries reported in April and 13 so far in May.

It appears that individuals are canvassing the neighborhood houses by knocking on the doors to determine if anyone is home. If no one answers the suspects are kicking in doors to the residences and stealing electronics, computers, jewelry, cash and guns. If someone answers at a residence the suspects ask for an individual by name or make some other request of the homeowner. The suspects then walk away from the residence when the homeowner will not or cannot fulfill their request. It appears that the suspects are driven into the area and haul the stolen properties from the area by vehicle.

During several of the burglaries witnesses have described young juvenile males ranging in age of 13-19 involved in canvassing the neighborhoods. Several different vehicles have been reported to been observed to include a blue 90's Chevy Truck and silver Nissan Altima.

Several residential burglaries occurred yesterday in the 5000 blocks of Buchannan Lane and Truman Lane. A witness in these neighborhoods reported that two Hispanic males in their late teens or early twenties were knocking on doors. They were asking for help with their car being broke down. They then left the area but no vehicle was observed.

The Pasco Police Department is asking if people observe individuals randomly knocking on doors in their neighborhoods to immediately call police about the suspicious activity and to look for vehicles in the neighborhood that don't belong. We also are asking that they call if strangers knock on their doors and obviously don't have any business being on their property.