Bellevue police have arrested 16 people in this year in connection with a number of residential and commercial burglaries.

Twelve of those arrested are suspects in the residential burglaries and four are suspects in the commercial burglaries. Police also have identified multiple associates who still are under investigation.

There have been 127 residential burglaries and 16 commercial burglaries reported in Bellevue since the beginning of 2012, compared with 158 burglaries reported during the same time frame as last year.

Bellevue patrol officers and investigators have worked jointly with other agencies to stop the rash of burglaries that are occurring all around the region.

The Bellevue Police investigation led Bellevue’s Special Enforcement Team to Federal Way, where assisted by deputies from King County Sheriff’s Office, they arrested three burglary suspects during a high risk traffic stop. A subsequent search in Seattle yielded stolen property including a firearm. This particular group has been under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the Puget Sound area and will potentially close numerous residential burglaries.

Police offer the following crime prevention tips:

• Be a good neighbor. If you see something suspicious call 9-1-1

• Lock your exterior doors

• Lock your windows even the second floor windows

• If you have an alarm system, use it. At night, consider setting the alarm on perimeter mode

• DO NOT place door keys around the exterior of your home, for example under the mat

• Lock your door between the garage and your living space

• If you do not have deadbolts consider installing one. A lock is useless if you do not lock it

• Exterior lighting at nighttime is a good deterrent to nighttime crime

• Start a block watch and neighbor email string

• When you are driving in your neighborhood, slow down and look for suspicious activity and call 9-1-1 when you see it