WEST CHESTER TWP. — Thieves on the prowl for quick cash hit storefronts hard over the holiday weekend, after a weeks-long respite from smash-and-grab break-ins that led to creation of a police task force earlier this summer.

        Two businesses were hit Saturday and one was targeted early Monday, police reports show. In one of those cases, the bandits went away empty-handed, but the other two incidents netted a combined $1,024 loss.

        Merchants said Tuesday they are stepping up security efforts as police beefed up the task force.

        “It's kind of odd,” West Chester Police Sgt. Steve Oakes said. “It's almost like someone was locked up for a while and then got back out.”

        Business break-ins dramatically hopped this summer in West Chester. There were 33 from June 13 to July 28 — 22 of those cases were classified as smash-and-grabs. Overall this year, there have been about 50 business break-ins.

        The problem also has shown up in other suburban communities such as Sharonville, Springdale, Forest Park and Evendale, which each had at least six break-ins this year.

        Police on Tuesday said they still aren't sure why West Chester is seeing such a rash of break-ins. The township has experienced similar ones in homes and cars.

        Officers are comparing the weekend break-ins to previous cases for similarities and have stepped up night patrols at businesses.

        “Maybe it's just our time in the barrel,” Police Chief John Bruce said. “It seems these things run in cycles and right now seems to be our turn. But we are concerned about it again and will do what we can to see if we can't put an end to it.”

        In one of the break-ins, at Vision Center on Tylersville Road, nothing was taken, but in the other two smash-and-grabs, the bandits made off with cash registers, according to police records.

        Smash-and-grab robbers had already hit the Hack-N-Wack Hair Shack off Tylersville Road earlier this year, when they hurled a large rock through the front window and made off with $25 in change. But sometime on Saturday night, bandits smashed — but did not break — the front window by using half of a concrete parking curb. They took the $99 cash register and, once again, $25 in change, owner Mary Webb said.

        The thieves couldn't smash the window completely out because Ms. Webb had plastic installed between the layers of glass since the last burglary. The bandits had to pry the window open to crawl through, she said, and police were able to lift fingerprints.

        “We're getting cameras put in,” Ms. Webb said Tuesday. “I am tired of it. This is my second break-in in six months. Mentally and physically it just exhausts you.”

        At A Coffee Affair in Olde West Chester on Cincinnati-Dayton Road, thieves took an $800 cash register after kicking out and crawling through a 14-by-20-inch basement window between 12:15 and 12:30 a.m. Monday, owner Rick Monsipapa said. He, too, is increasing security.

        “We should have left our empty cash register drawer open,” Mr. Monsipapa said from his store Tuesday. “But we got a call today and the police discovered the cash register on the side of the road. I don't know if it's trashed yet or salvageable. It's the price of doing business. There's nothing you can do.”

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