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Lock your doors and windows, Seaside police warn residents in the midst of what appears to be a spike in home burglaries this summer.

Police would not provide current or historic numbers of burglaries in Seaside, but said they're seeing a definitive uptick.

“We are seeing an increase in opportunity burglaries," says SSPD Deputy Chief Louis Lumpkin.

Over the past six months, he says, thieves appear to have been casing areas in the upper Seaside area more intensely than usual, particularly the larger homes on the hill between Yosemite and Mescal streets.

He suggests the burglaries may be committed by the same group of suspects, but police are still investigating.

SSPD Commander Judy Stradan says the perpetrators tend to wait until they believe nobody is home, then enter through insecure back doors and windows: "Once they're in the back, they feel free to enter."

Jewelry is the item most commonly stolen, she adds.