Car Burglaries Increase Dramatically

1

00:00:00,340 --> 00:00:03,300

Durango Police urge

residents to lock their cars

2

00:00:03,300 --> 00:00:05,990

following a dramatic

increase in car thefts

3

00:00:05,990 --> 00:00:08,370

and burglaries in town.

4

00:00:08,370 --> 00:00:10,200

You're watching the Local News Network

5

00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:13,040

brought to you by Tafoya

Barrett and Associates,

6

00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,030

and Kroegers ACE Hardware.

7

00:00:15,030 --> 00:00:16,513

I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

8

00:00:17,830 --> 00:00:21,400

A rash of car thefts and

thefts of items from cars,

9

00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,140

has prompted Durango

Police to warn residents

10

00:00:24,140 --> 00:00:27,090

to lock their cars when unattended.

11

00:00:27,090 --> 00:00:29,200

Durango Police Sergeant Tim Dixon

12

00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:34,200

said car thefts increased

by 50% in 2020 over 2019.

13

00:00:34,370 --> 00:00:37,180

And as of the first two months of 2021,

14

00:00:37,180 --> 00:00:39,630

car thefts are on track

to more than double

15

00:00:39,630 --> 00:00:41,460

if the trend continues.

16

00:00:41,460 --> 00:00:44,630

In 2019, thieves stole 36 cars,

17

00:00:44,630 --> 00:00:47,170

in 2020, the number jumped to 54.

18

00:00:47,170 --> 00:00:49,910

And during January and February this year,

19

00:00:49,910 --> 00:00:52,140

10 cars had been stolen.

20

00:00:52,140 --> 00:00:55,090

Similarly, reports of

items stolen from cars

21

00:00:55,090 --> 00:00:58,900

jumped 130% in 2020 over 2019.

22

00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:03,570

Police received 74 reports of

items taken from cars in 2019,

23

00:01:03,570 --> 00:01:07,050

compared with 174 reports in 2020.

24

00:01:07,050 --> 00:01:08,500

Dixon didn't have statistics

25

00:01:08,500 --> 00:01:11,170

for the first two months of 2021.

26

00:01:11,170 --> 00:01:14,560

Almost all the incidents

were crimes of opportunity,

27

00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,470

because the cars were left unlocked,

28

00:01:16,470 --> 00:01:19,290

or the keys were left in an unlocked car.

29

00:01:19,290 --> 00:01:21,730

Dixon urges residents to lock your cars

30

00:01:21,730 --> 00:01:23,940

every time you leave them unattended,

31

00:01:23,940 --> 00:01:26,410

even if they're parked in your driveway.

32

00:01:26,410 --> 00:01:30,690

Before you go in for the

night, before you go to bed,

33

00:01:30,690 --> 00:01:32,493

make sure your car's locked,

34

00:01:33,620 --> 00:01:35,340

make sure things are secured,

35

00:01:35,340 --> 00:01:37,133

make sure your house is secure.

36

00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,270

And just go through that process,

37

00:01:42,270 --> 00:01:46,473

and it plays a huge role

in crime prevention.

38

00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,300

All those thefts from

vehicles that I mentioned,

39

00:01:51,300 --> 00:01:53,650

rarely, rarely do we ever have

40

00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,080

a vehicle where a window is broken out

41

00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,670

to gain entry into that vehicle,

42

00:01:59,670 --> 00:02:01,610

usually, the vehicle's left unlocked.

43

00:02:01,610 --> 00:02:05,340

So, at least no property

damage is occurring

44

00:02:05,340 --> 00:02:07,180

because of that, if there's a bright side,

45

00:02:07,180 --> 00:02:12,180

but we are making it too easy for thieves

46

00:02:14,123 --> 00:02:15,930

to take our property.

47

00:02:15,930 --> 00:02:19,823

Likewise, with stolen cars and vehicles,

48

00:02:22,053 --> 00:02:24,740

rarely do we see vehicles

getting hotwired anymore

49

00:02:25,890 --> 00:02:29,660

to steal them, usually,

there is a key accessible

50

00:02:29,660 --> 00:02:31,150

For other safety tips,

51

00:02:31,150 --> 00:02:35,020

visit the police department's

website at durangogov.org,

52

00:02:35,020 --> 00:02:38,100

or like the department

on its Facebook page.

53

00:02:38,100 --> 00:02:41,160

Thanks for watching this edition

of the Local News Network.

54

00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,580

Be sure to stay on top of

the latest news stories

55

00:02:43,580 --> 00:02:46,300

that we release through

Twitter, Instagram,

56

00:02:46,300 --> 00:02:47,660

or on our website.

57

00:02:47,660 --> 00:02:49,113

I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

‍