Car Break-Ins on the Rise in Cartersville

Cartersville has seen a spike in car breakins and thefts of items in vehicles throughout the past few weeks, according to Cartersville Police Department Chief Thomas "Tommy" Culpepper. 

"This type of crime tends to be cyclical," he said in a release. "For example, as we experience warmer weather during the late evening and early morning hours as summer approaches, those who commit this type of crime tend to be out on the street later at night whereas during seasons of colder temperatures they are inclined to stay inside," Culpepper added. 

In addition, one trend we have seen during this recent increase is that several of the entering auto crimes have been committed when storms with high winds and heavy rains have been passing through the area, he said.

The public can do several things to help reduce the number of auto burglaries, Culpepper said, including: 

• First and foremost, report any suspicious activity in neighborhoods or in parking lots. 
• Second, do not leave anything of value visible in a vehicle, including "items such as laptop or tablet computers, cell phones, cameras, purses, jewelry, money, wallets, or anything else that would be inviting to someone."  
• Third, lock your vehicle. "In the majority of instances where these types of crimes take place the vehicle was not locked," police said in the release. 
• Fourth, if your car is in a garage, lock the garage doors. If your car must be parked outside in a driveway and there is a light close to the car, install a motion sensor light that will turn on if someone comes near the vehicle.

"People need to remember that this type of crime is a crime of opportunity. An unlocked vehicle presents an easy opportunity. Visible valuables present another opportunity," Culpepper said. "If the vehicle is locked, the more valuable the visible items are, the more likely there will be a forcible entry into the vehicle. 

By locking the vehicle and by securing valuables in the trunk or preferably by completely removing them from the vehicle, opportunities for theft are reduced.

If you see any criminal activity, Call 911 or CPD's tip line at 770-606-5337. 

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