By Will Pafford, Staff Writer

Four burglaries occurred in three days in the Westbank between March 19 and 21.

West Lake Hills had one burglary of vehicle and Rollingwood had burglaries of a vehicle, home and business. 

The West Lake Hills burglary of vehicle was on March 19. 

Chief Cliff Spratlan, of the West lake Hills Police Department, said the burglary is unusual and the city has not had many recently.  

On March 20, the Jiffy Lube on Bee Cave Road was burglarized, according to Rollingwood Police Sgt. Erick Donaldson. 

Donaldson said police found a smashed window on the backside of the business between 6:50 and 7:40 a.m.

The burglar stole $38 from the cash register, he said, and police were able to obtain fingerprints from the register. 

A home and vehicle in Rollingwood were burglarized on March 21. 

Donaldson said a burglar broke the glass beside the front door to gain access to the home on Rollingwood Drive. 

The residents were out of town, and the burglar stole a television and laptop. 

Police lifted fingerprints from a cable box that was connected to the television. 

Details on the burglary of motor vehicle, which was on Riley Road, were not available by press time. 

Donaldson said the economy may play a role in the increase of burglaries, and people may be more inclined to steal. 

“They’re getting more desperate,” he said. “Westlake and Rollingwood are just easy targets.” 

Donaldson said businesses can help protect themselves by using alarm systems and quality video surveillance systems. 

“We have an excellent chance of catching someone if there is an alarm system,” he said. 

Police can usually respond within a minute and a half in these cases. 

As for homes and vehicles, Donaldson said people should lock the doors and keep valuables hidden.

“They need to stop leaving valuable items out in plain sight,” he said. 

Burglars will usually move on to another vehicle if they    don’t see anything inside immediately. 

Donaldson said residents should take these precautions because burglaries are occurring multiple times every month.