A pedestrian taking a dog for a stroll near Fort Ward Park returned to her parked car to discover burglars had smashed a window and stolen her purse in the evening hours of June 14. 

The thieves struck sometime before 5:46 p.m., in the 15 minutes the victim was away from her vehicle, shattering a rear passenger window to get inside, said Ashley Hildebrandt, department spokeswoman.

There were no witnesses and police have not yet made an arrest, she said.  Authorities recommend residents keep all valuables with them or, if thats not possible, store them out of sight.