NEVADA COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM BUSINESSES RGJ.com: Window smash crimes continue

Reno police Tuesday continued to investigate a series of business burglaries where crooks use rocks to smash windows to steal what's inside.

During the past two weeks, burglars have been stealing computer towers -- probably to gain personal identity information, said Sgt. John Tarter, who heads the Reno police burglary unit.

Since Nov. 17 there have been 24 incidents in Reno where businesses have been burglarized after having windows smashed with rocks or slabs of concrete. Until last Wednesday, items stolen were mostly cash or things that could quickly be grabbed near the window or on counter tops.

The four computer tower thefts lead police to believe the businesses are being targeted to steal personal identification information. Nothing else had been stolen. No related identity-theft crimes had been reported Tuesday.

"The most important thing is to password your information," Tarter said. "These businesses that are keeping their clients' personal information on their computers need to password that information because that's what is being stolen."

Tarter said the computers are in plain view if someone peered into the window. In some cases, there are delays in police responding to the scene because alarm companies first contact the business owners, who sometimes decide to go to the business and then call police, authorities said. In other cases, the businesses don't have alarms.

Thieves hit an attorney's office, 501 Hammil Lane, about 11:40 p.m. Monday; a flooring store, 72 Burns St., about 12:45 a.m. Thursday; an optometry office, 285 Moana Lane, at 7:30 a.m. Thursday; and a computer store, 955 Moana Lane, at 1:33 a.m. Jan. 4.