The report of a burglary in progress in the 700 block of West Rodney Street on Sunday afternoon drew a fast response from Cape Girardeau police and the attention of neighbors.

"We did catch two burglars, but these two burglars are juveniles," said Sgt. Rick Schmidt. He said he and other officers who responded to the call had hoped to catch those responsible for more than 50 burglaries committed since last fall.

Schmidt said Sunday's incident was different than the other break-ins.

"The time of day is not the same, the shoes don't match -- none of the things that are telltale signs of the [other] burglars," he said. "We thought 'Maybe ...,' but no."

A neighbor who saw Sunday's break-in called the police and the real estate agent for the home. It has been vacant for several months.

"It's an isolated incident," said a neighbor, who asked not to be named. "All of us were out in the yards watching the police. It was something that really got our attention."

Schmidt said officers feel pressure to catch the culprits of the earlier rash of burglaries.

"We are still actively investigating those, but we haven't had any [new related burglaries] in a while," he said. "We're still digging and searching, and detectives are running down leads. The guys on the street are responding diligently and speedily, hoping to catch these people."

He said officers in any police department would feel the same.

"There's always pressure to solve any crime, especially when you're talking about burglaries in neighborhoods where there's not usually burglaries," he said.

One element of the investigation is keeping an open mind, he said.

"It's hard to tell if it's one person working for two or three or four other people, or two people breaking into a home, working for one person who's waiting in a car," he said. "We have to be extremely careful not to fall into some preconceived notion of what a burglar is, because that's gonna be 'What's the biggest stereotype?' like, it's kids. But it could be anybody. Times are tough with the economy right now."

He said anyone with information about the burglaries or any crime can provide police anonymous tips thought he CrimeStoppers program.

"You don't have to give your name, you're not called to testify in court," he said. "You're eligible for a reward ... you don't even have to talk to a human being. You can leave the information on an answering machine."

The CrimeStoppers number is 332-0500.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

388-3646

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