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Juneau police publicized more details of last week's school break-ins in hopes of soliciting the community's help in finding the suspects.

Police said the two individuals who broke into the Mendenhall River Community School last week left behind two mountain bikes after fleeing from the school when police arrived.

One bike is red and silver and has a brand name "Vertical." The other is a silver Mongoose bike that has a large sticker on it that says "Support Hemp for a Green Planet."

Police described one of the suspects as an Alaska Native male, age 16-18, who is between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall and has medium dark hair. Police said he wore blue jeans and a black and white striped hooded sweatshirt at the time of the break-in.

Sgt. Dave Campbell said the large sticker on the silver bike is an easy identifier and police are hoping someone comes forward to identify the bike's owner.

"Someone in this town has seen that bike before, and someone in this town knows who it belongs to," Campbell said.

Campbell said police decided to ask for the public's help identifying the bike's owners because other leads on the suspect's identities did not pan out.

Last week, police said they collected a backpack containing tools and a pair of shoes the suspects left behind when they fled the school.

Police said they believe the suspects may have been involved in three other school break-ins that occurred a week and a half ago.

Mendenhall River Community School, Riverbend Elementary and Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School were targeted during those break-ins, in which 10 laptops and a digital camera were stolen.

Juneau School District Superintendent Peggy Cowan said the district continues to employ a private security company keep watch on the schools.

She said the district is considering adding fences, upgrades in gates, and security cameras to its capital improvement plan. The plan is for larger-scale projects that need voter approval.

Cowan said discussions on security cameras are ongoing, and questions have not been addressed as to what kind of cameras the district should buy, how many, and where they would be placed at schools.

Juneau has a lengthy history of school break-ins and vandalism. In September two young men were arrested on charges of breaking in and vandalizing Glacier Valley Elementary School. The pair, Evan Smith and Charles Dennis Jr., are both housed at Lemon Creek Correctional Center and are scheduled for a court hearing today.

In 2002, two young men were sentenced to six months in prison for their part in a summer vandalism spree that caused nearly $20,000 in damages.

Police said that anyone with information concerning any of the school break-ins should call police at 586-0600 or the Juneau Crime Line at 586-4243.

• Contact reporter Alan Suderman at 523-2268 or alan.suderman@juneauempire.com.