SUNFISH LAKE, Minn. — Police investigations in Sunfish Lake are rare, to say the least.
"The crime in Sunfish Lake is almost non-existent. We don't have any issues out there whatsoever," said Chief Brian Sturgeon of the West Saint Paul Police Department, which provides law enforcement services for Sunfish Lake.
But now the small, affluent Dakota County community is added to the long list of metro cities investigating a string of burglaries committed by a sophisticated, and possibly international ring.
"These are professional burglars that we are pretty confident are using some type of technology in order to commit these burglaries," Sturgeon said.
A Chilean man pleaded guilty last month to an Eden Prairie burglary after being arrested in suburban Philadelphia – the only person to be charged so far in the more than 60 cases tied together across a dozen Minnesota cities, according to court documents.
Other cases have included high-tech tools such as cell phone wi-fi jammers and drone surveillance.
West Saint Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon says they are comparing notes with west metro agencies that have been working on these cases for a year now.
"All these burglaries are very similar in how the individuals are entering the home and what they are going after – small items such as cash and jewelry," Sturgeon said.
Sturgeon says the burglars seem to know which high-end homes are easiest to hit – undetected.
"We're looking at a lot of scenarios and how these individuals knew the alarm systems were not turned on. They seem to be able to escape exterior camera systems to enter the residence," Sturgeon said.
And the chief says he is initiating more collaboration in hopes of bringing down these rings – either in Minnesota or another state.
Chief Sturgeon said next week local police departments are meeting with the BCA in hopes of setting up a more organized point of contact that can work with task forces in Kansas City and Florida concerning related cases.