Help Catch A Crook

In this week's To Catch A Crook Report Tulsa Police Are looking for whoever broke into five different Tulsa restaurants last month.<br><br>From the way they got inside to what they did to the alarm

Sunday, September 8th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

In this week's To Catch A Crook Report Tulsa Police Are looking for whoever broke into five different Tulsa restaurants last month.

From the way they got inside to what they did to the alarm systems Police figure these burglars are not your run of the mill criminals.

News on Six crime reporter Lori Fullbright says burglars got into Charleston's and Mahogany's on South Yale and stole cash from each one. They also targeted the Picadilly, Lone Star, and Marie Callenders on 51st Street.

They didn't make it inside Picadilly, they did get into Lonestar, but got spooked before getting any money. At Marie Callenders, they got in and got money. Each time, they hit the store safe.

Sgt. Mark Sherwood of the TPD Burglary Unit says "The safes are heavy so unless they're Arnold Schwarzenegger look-alikes, there's more than one person."

The burglars cut the phone lines at each restaurant which disabled the alarm systems so employees didn't find out about the crime until they showed up for work. They entered through the roof or a back door and each time, they used heavy-duty tools to get the loot.

Sgt. Sherwood says, "They moved them out of the office area into a workable space then went to work on prying them open. There was significant time spent opening the safe."

All this makes police think these burglars are not first-timers, but, practiced, maybe even professional.

Police says the burglary that happened here at the Macaroni Grill Monday night perhaps was their practice round before going for the gold by hitting five in one night just 24 hours later.

Police have advice for business owners until they make an arrest... stash your morning start-up cash in a bank rather than a safe. They also have advice for citizens, if you see anyone behind a restaurant or near the telephone lines after hours call police.

That's the best tool against thieves who work in the night.