Recently, we've received about an equal number of home burglary reports from area residents and crime watch volunteers as we typically get concerning lost pets.

Lt. Ken Dortch of the Dallas police Central Operations Division — which covers the Lakewood Heights and Wilshire Heights neighborhoods — connected the rise in break-ins to the spring weather.

"We've seen an uptick in the last 30 days," he said. "It's seasonal. You can set your calendar by it. When the weather gets warmer, the criminals get more active."

Still, the increase so far this year has been close to flat compared to last year in the Central Division, he said. Central Operations has handled 50 home burglary cases this month versus 49 during the first 21 days of April 2007.

Deputy Police Chief Jan Easterling, commander of the Northeast Operations Division that patrols Lakewood, sent stats that indicate a marked rise in home burglaries in the neighborhood. Her records show a 71.4 percent increase in home burglaries so far for 2008 compared to the same period of 2007.