The 4 a.m. phone call from his security company was familiar to business owner David Ameyaw, who less than two weeks earlier received the same call about his Jessup storefront windows being shattered by burglars.

“We’ve been here for almost two years, and nothing ever happened until last month,” said Ameyaw, 45, who owns Bea’s Beauty Supply in the 7300 block of Assateague Drive.

“To be broken into twice in two weeks shows that something is going on in the neighborhood. We’re thinking the incidents are on the rise, and it’s very disturbing.”

Between January and May 2008, Howard police saw a spike of 56 reports of “smash and grab” burglaries, in which a large rock or object is used to shatter a business’ front window, police said.

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Smash and grabs have more than tripled since 16 were reported during the same time period in 2007, police said.

Police said the burglaries are occurring countywide targeting restaurants, liquor and convenience stores, auto repair shops, beauty shops, retail stores, office buildings, and gas stations.

“If nothing can improve the security situation, then we will have to protect ourselves and move somewhere else,” Ameyaw said.

During the first incident, Ameyaw said the burglars shattered the front window and stole about $5,000 in cash, merchandise and a computer.

He paid more than $250 to replace the window, but found himself in the same situation May 20 when burglars threw a rock through the window and made off with the cash register and a gumball machine.

Police arrested two suspects in the May 20 burglary, but police spokesman Bryce Buell said the crimes are hard to solve without the help of surveillance videos.

“Typically, a smash and grab is a very quick crime,” he said.

“It’s frustrating, because they can be in and out in under 30 seconds.”

Buell said burglars, pressed for time, sometimes leave without taking anything.

“It’s almost like a nuisance crime that causes a lot of destruction for very little reward,” he said.

“And these businesses are forced to replace the window and board it up.”

Buell said the reports drop whenever police make an arrest, which has prompted them to consider the possibility that it’s related to a single person or group.

cpeirce@baltimoreexaminer.com