DAYTON - Residential burglaries are on the rise in Dayton, especially in vacant homes, according to Sheriff Walt Hessler. He is urging neighbors call law enforcement as soon as they see any suspicious activity to catch the burglars.

"We've never had this serious of a problem before," Hessler said. "This is the first time."

The burglaries in Dayton have become more frequent over the past two or three months, he said. This year, there have been six non-residential burglaries, meaning businesses were broken into, and 21 reported residential burglaries.

The sheriff said the recent spike in reported burglaries may be related to transients. He said burglars are getting into vacant homes that realtors are showing. Typically, there is a lock box on the front door with a key, but the suspects are getting in through basement windows or windows that were simply left unlocked, Hessler said.

The burglar could be a male or female transient. Hessler said it seems as though the burglar breaks in and spends the night in the vacant home, using the bathroom or even bringing in groceries and eating a meal. They typically vacate the house in the morning. Female clothes and hygiene products were left behind once, and the image of a male suspect was caught by one camera, he said. Nothing has actually been taken from the homes, leading the police to believe it's a transient.

"We're pretty sure it's transients and not local people," Hessler said.

Dayton Mayor Craig George said a few residents are asking the city about the issue because of the recent reports in the police log.

The Sheriff's Office has put up cameras and set up alarms with the hope of catching the burglar. However, most burglaries are reported by the realtors after the suspect is long gone.

"We're not finding out about it until after the fact," Hessler said.

About two weeks ago, one of the cameras set up to catch the burglar was stolen, he said.

The homes broken into have been "all over town," and seem to be chosen at random.

Hessler said the county has not had problems with transients for years. He said there are a couple of transients he knows of in town, but none matched the descriptions given by witnesses.

The Sheriff's Office had also been dealing with an uptick in vehicle prowls this year. There have been 37 vehicle prowls reported, during which 19 of the prowlers stole property, Hessler said.

"Vehicle prowls are a crime of opportunity," he said.

Often, the driver has left the keys in the car or simply left the car unlocked with valuables in sight. Prowls have been a steady problem in Dayton lately, he said, and Walla Walla and Milton Freewater are seeing a rise in the crime as well. Recently, the Sheriff's Office arrested one prowler caught in the act, believed to be behind many of the prowls on the south side of town, where the suspect lived, Hessler said.

Since the arrest, the prowls are being reported less often.

"I think it curtailed part of the problem," he said.

However, car prowlers will remain in the community as long as drugs are present, Hessler said. The crime is linked to drug use because the prowlers can steal things from cars like electronics that can easily be resold for drug money.

Hessler said when a prowl is reported and items were stolen, all his officers can do is check at local pawn shops. If the items are sold within the drug community, those items won't likely be seen ever again.

Hessler said there is drug abuse in Dayton city limits and it has always been an issue.

"It's worse than a lot of people know," he said.

There are a lot of marijuana users in town, as well as some methamphetamine users. Cocaine is also rising in popularity again, he said.

The best way to catch car prowlers is to report the crime right away. Often, the car owner doesn't realize the vehicle was broken into until something goes missing. At that point, the vehicle is far down the road and most of the evidence has been destroyed, he said. If you suspect your vehicle was broken into, call law enforcement right away.

To diminish prowling in the community and to keep vacant homes secure, Hessler said the community needs to step up and report crimes when they happen.

Also, he asks residents to keep a close eye on their neighbors so they know when something or someone looks suspicious and report it.

"Be very vigilant," Hessler said. "There needs to be neighbors watching out for neighbors."