A countywide burglary task force says it has cracked down on a local crime crew that has been taking high-end electronics like big-screen televisions from businesses such as American TV and Main Brothers in the past few months.

But there are other similar crews operating in the Madison area, signalling a trend toward more sophisticated groups that target offices and stores and causing the recent increase in nonresidential burglaries, Madison Police Capt. Tom Snyder said Thursday.

At a press conference, Burglary Task Force leader Lt. Mark Brown said about a dozen suspects have been identified and two people are in custody on unrelated charges. "We expect more arrests to be made," Brown said.

Thursday's crackdown included early-morning searches of homes in the 2900 block of Todd Drive and the 2500 block of Greenway View that were the result of a routine traffic stop, Brown said.

Snyder said the task force, organized in mid-February after a substantial increase in nonresidential burglaries, has been able to arrest a few key people. Some of the arrests may have contributed to a dramatic decrease in burglaries from February, when there were 117 such cases, to March, when there were 46, he said.

Police continue to investigate the connections the crews have to other cities, where stolen goods are taken. "A lot of the merchandise stolen in Madison doesn't necessarily stay in Madison," Snyder said. "It goes other places."

Snyder said the increase in nonresidential burglaries initially affected the West District in Madison almost exclusively but has since spread to the other four Madison districts and into the county.