FAIRFIELD — Police are closing in on suspects in a string of car burglaries last year, while dealing with a new spate over the last 10 days.

There have been reports of about 16 car burglaries since Aug. 19 on downtown streets, according to Police Chief Tom Gould. Most are happening late at night and the burglars seem to be targeting unlocked vehicles, he said.

Cars are parked Monday along Main Street in Fairfield, where several cars have been burglarized in the last 10 days. Police Chief Tom Gould cautioned drivers to make sure their cars are locked when parked downtown. David Leaming/Morning Sentinel

Burglaries occurred on Kelley, High, Main, Savage and West streets. Car windows were broken in some recent burglaries, he said.

Gould said his department just received results from DNA testing of evidence from last summer’s 40 car burglaries and may bring charges within the next two weeks.

The chief said a burglary spree like the recent one isn’t uncommon. It’s the second or third string of car burglaries he’s seen in Fairfield since he became police chief three years ago.

There were a large number of car burglaries last summer in Fairfield and Skowhegan from June to August. The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office worked with Fairfield and Skowhegan police to investigate the dozens of burglaries on Bigelow Hill Road, Six Rod Road and Center Road. Police believed the burglaries were related.

One string of burglaries involved seven cars that were all unlocked and burglarized early on June 17.

Police are reviewing video footage to narrow down the list of suspects in the recent burglaries. Gould said residents and businesses with exterior surveillance cameras should check their footage and call Officer Shanna Blodgett at 453-9322 if they see anything suspicious.

Gould also encouraged people whose cars have been burglarized but have not yet notified police to do so.

He said people should be careful to secure their cars and should report any suspicious activity to the police.