Birmingham sees uptick in auto thefts

BIRMINGHAM — In the last month, the Birmingham Police Department has seen an increase in auto thefts in the area. Since many of these occurrences have things in common with each other, police offered prevention tips for the community.

In most cases, the keys were left inside the unlocked vehicle.

Birmingham Police Department Patrol Cmndr. Scott Grewe said they believe these occurrences to be connected. The Birmingham Police Department has been able to recover all of the vehicles except for one, and all of the recovered cars were found in the same area.

Grewe said they made some arrests after recovering the vehicles, and they are following up with additional suspects that have been identified.

Since a majority of these cases followed the trend of vehicles left unlocked with the keys inside, Grewe said the biggest piece of advice he could offer is to lock your car door and do not leave your keys in the car.

“These are crimes of opportunity, and a little bit of prevention goes a long way,” Grewe said. “If these doors were locked and keys were not in them, then most of these cars probably would not have been stolen.”

Grewe said they believe these occurrences to be a result of a group of people going around a residential area looking for unlocked cars. With many cars being push-starts instead of having to turn a key, it has made it easier for these vehicles to be stolen when the key is left inside. This does not appear to be an issue of people breaking into cars and hotwiring them.

In some cases, valuable items were left in the car, including a vacuum, tools, cash and more.

Grewe also recommends that residents take all of their valuable items out of their cars overnight, especially if the vehicle is unlocked.

The Birmingham Police Department is a safety resource for the community that is available at all times, police said. Grewe said residents should call the department if they see or hear anything suspicious in the middle of the night.

“Give us a call. That is what we are here for,” Grewe said.