Print edition: 
Police are looking for a pair of people thought to be responsible for around two dozen burglaries in the past week.
Authorities released images gleaned from security footage at two businesses burglarized last weekend. The footage shows two men thought to be in their late teens or early 20s.
The men are suspected of about a dozen burglaries in the area of Central and West streets last weekend and perhaps another 10 or more burglaries in east Wichita on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
"We think they might be connected," said Lt. Barry Von Fange, head of the burglary section.
The burglaries have a similar pattern, he said: a front window is broken, and then the burglar or burglars go inside and steal cash or the cash drawer from a register.
"It's very quick," Von Fange said, adding that the burglars are never in the stores for very long.
Many of the targeted businesses are small mom-and-pop operations that do not have video surveillance, he said.
The burglars have not escaped with significant amounts of money, Von Fange said, because the business owners have learned not to keep much money in the registers overnight. But it's still proving to be an expensive hassle for the victims.
"Typically they're breaking a $200 or $300 window to get $7 in change," Von Fange said.
Authorities are seeing other troubling recent burglary trends, Von Fange said.
Burglars have broken into 12 Wichita schools in May and June, targeting overhead projectors, he said. The equipment can project large images onto a wall, he said, for such activities as playing video games or simply watching TV.
Non-residential burglaries — which include such structures as sheds and detached garages — are up 27 percent over a year ago. Victims are leaving sheds or garages unlocked, and thieves are taking power tools and gardening equipment.
Von Fange urged residents to lock detached garages and put sturdy locks on storage sheds.
Anyone with information about the burglaries or suspects is asked to call the burglary section at 316-268-4141 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
Tips can also be submitted online at www.wsccs.com, or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with TIP217.
