A series of burglaries late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning cost some downtown Fairhope merchants thousands of dollars in cash, while others were left only having to deal with a costly cleanup.

Cpl. Craig Sawyer, Fairhope police spokesman, said 14 businesses in the shopping district, an area around Fairhope Avenue, Section Street, Bancroft Street and Morphy Avenue, reported overnight break-ins. Investigators were still out Wednesday afternoon combing for evidence.

Sawyer said those responsible used pry bars to pry the locks on doors and windows, or broke glass in order to gain access to the buildings.

“They hit Fairhope Avenue, Section Street, Masonic Drive, Bancroft — stores in older downtown buildings,” Sawyer said. “They were waiting on the patrol cars to go by on their checks, and then waited on another opportunity to go back in when no one was looking.”

He said the thefts likely involved only one or two suspects, and they attempted to cover their tracks in some cases by damaging or destroying video surveillance systems inside a handful of the businesses.

No merchandise or computers were taken during the heists. One business, a day spa, reported $2,000 stolen, but other shopkeepers told police nothing was missing.

Sawyer said, “Probably what they did, they waited for an available night, took what cash was available and left. They passed by a lot of valuable items.”

Patrol officers contacted other downtown businesses to identify any unreported burglaries. Sawyer said damage to some of the businesses was minimal and barely detectable. Some employees didn’t realize their shops were burglarized until they discovered their cash boxes came up short.

He noted, “These were not all your typical retail businesses. He (the thief or thieves) wasn’t being picky.”

Sawyer said there are some easy ways business owners can help reduce their chances of being burglarized.

“If they see someone hanging around (report them), but it’s going to be difficult to identify someone suspicious because your store is open,” he said.

Sawyer said business owners should use quality locks on all their doors.

“With a lot of the older doors, it’s a matter of prying the door away from the door jamb,” he said. “Businesses need to take a good look at the hardware on their doors. You need solid locks, deadbolt locks. Have a locksmith come out and evaluate what you have.”

Also, Sawyer said, “Don’t leave large amounts of cash overnight unless it’s in a safe or locked up securely.”

Downtown patrols will be stepped up because of the thefts, he said, adding, “We already have officers in cars driving, and at night they take turns parking and walking.”

The probe into the burglaries is ongoing, and will involve other police departments in nearby municipalities. Sawyer said, “During our investigation, we’re going to work with Daphne, Foley and the Sheriff’s office to see if there were similar cases. Hopefully this was one isolated incident, but it could reoccur so businesses need to take steps to keep this from happening again.”

Anyone with information regarding these crimes is asked to call the Fairhope Police Department at (251) 928-2385.

The businesses that are known to have been victims of the burglaries are:

•CK Collection on Fairhope Avenue reported a burglary with a damaged security camera, but no theft. Damage estimated at $200.

•Tonya’s Manicures and Pedicures on South Section Street reported a burglary with a broken window pane, but no theft. The damage estimate was not given.

•Mannich Real Estate on Bancroft Street reported a burglary in which $800 was stolen.

•Hair Designs on Johnson Avenue reported a burglary with an estimated $200 damage to the door, but no theft.

•The Polka Dot Princess on Bancroft Street reported a burglary with no theft but an estimated $150 damage to the door and $300 damage to a video system.

•The Dana Smith Salon on South Section Street reported a burglary with no theft, but a window was damaged with unknown value estimate.

•Emmy’s Thrift Shop on Fairhope Avenue reported a burglary in which a pane of glass was broken and $100 was stolen. There’s no damage estimate.

•Colony Tile and Flooring on Morphy Avenue reported a burglary with a broken window and a theft of $200. No damage estimate was given.

•The Courtyard Salon on Bancroft Avenue reported a burglary in which a pane of glass estimated at $50 was broken, but no theft reported.

•The Mountain Massage and Day Spa on South Section Street reported a burglary in which $2,000 was stolen.

•The Robert Gentle Construction Co. on South Section Street reported a burglary with no theft.

•A Taste of New Orleans on Fairhope Avenue reported a burglary with no theft.

•Trish’s Alterations on South Section Street reported a burglary with $450 stolen.

•Brown Financial on Fairhope Avenue reported a burglary with $40 stolen.