CELEB BURGLARIES LAPD SUSPECTS CRIPS

The recent string of celeb burglary victims -- Nicki Minaj, Alanis Morissette, Yasiel Puig and Emmy Rossum -- might have been hit by Crips ... according to a report.

Here's how it allegedly goes down -- the Crips ditch their gang attire and hop into luxury whips to blend into the high-end communities they're targeting. According to the AP ... the burglars show up to fancy cribs and look for signs it's empty. They ring the doorbell and if no one answers, they break in.

LAPD refers to it as "flocking" because gang members flock to these neighborhoods like birds.

Our law enforcement sources say it's not necessarily ALL Crips pulling these heists, but cops definitely suspect they're involved in some of them. Also, they're NOT only targeting celeb homes ... they just so happen to stumble upon them in certain glitzy neighborhoods.

As we first reported ... police also blame jail overcrowding, and new laws that put non-violent offenders back on the streets much sooner.