Police warn residents as vehicle, trailer thefts on the rise in Twin Cities
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Minneapolis police are giving the public a stern warning as auto thefts are on the rise this year. They’ve seen nearly 800 more vehicles stolen this year than at this time last year. This kind of crime has been on the rise for 10 years.
University of Minnesota dental student Jake Schroeder had his trailer stolen last week.
“It’s always been on my radar whether or not someone was going to take the trailer; Minneapolis can be a rough area sometimes,” said Schroeder, who said his trailer was stolen on Wednesday.
Police say Schroeder is far from alone.
[KSTP]
“[Trailers are] easier to steal. They’re not tied to an engine, [and someone] can just hook them up and take off with the trailer,” said Minneapolis police officer Keith Smith.
Minneapolis police records show that, since 2010, the number of auto thefts has nearly doubled, from 1,303 year-to-date in 2010 to 2,616 so far in 2020. That number shot up from last year, which was at 1,830 for the same time period.
“We’re seeing a trend where when the temperatures drop, residents are leaving their keys inside their vehicles. And the Minneapolis Police Department urge their residents to not leave their keys in their vehicles. It’s a crime of opportunity, and also not to leave valuables in plain sight,” said Smith.
Meanwhile, in St. Paul, police said it’s a similar story. According to records, in 2019 there were 1,670 cars stolen, compared to the 1,853 stolen in the same period this year. St. Paul police said there were four trailers stolen last week, two of which had boats on them.
Minneapolis police said in a majority of the cases, owners are leaving keys in the vehicle, and worse, sometimes in the ignition with the car running. It’s a common mistake police are identifying. Officers recommend precautions be taken, especially when it comes to trailers.
“Other vehicles can be used to block trailers in, maybe use third-party locking mechanisms to lock trailers down and make it a little bit more challenging for people to steal trailers,” said Smith.