New Canaan police are investigating 15 incidents of larceny that happened in the last month, which specifically targeted students and owners of unlocked vehicles.

Students have filed several reports of stolen iPods and laptop computers, and in one case two weeks ago, two unlocked vehicles in the same driveway were burglarized. A passport, birth certificate and laptop were stolen from one car, while a pocketbook filled with credit cards was taken from the other.

Sgt. Carol Ogrinc advises residents to be more protective of their personal items. She also says that the department will take the proper precautions by providing more patrols very early in the morning.

?Especially with the night shift ? the midnight shift especially ? they?re looking for suspicious vehicles, or stopping vehicles more often in the wee hours of the morning,? Ogrinc says.

According to Ogrinc, the current state of the economy may be the cause behind the recent rash of burglaries.