Roseville Police See a Small 'Surge' in Auto Thefts

In recent weeks, Roseville has seen “something of a surge” in the number of motor vehicle thefts, according to city police.

Corey Yunke, the Roseville Police Department’s crime analyst, said there have been seven auto thefts so far in October, a number that is a couple ticks higher than the three or four per month that police are used to seeing in Roseville.

“It’s small enough numbers where it could simply be a group of people doing it more or one additional person jumping in,” Yunke said.

Four of the seven motor vehicles stolen in October, so far, were Hondas.Yunke cautioned that early 1990s Hondas are prime targets for car thieves because they’re easy to break into and can be broken down simply and sold for parts.

“I can search how to steal a Honda Civic online and it pops right up,” Yunke said.

Yunke said the department is also seeing a change in the location of small thefts from cars: As the weather gets colder, thieves are more likely to target cars near restaurants and bars and less likely to hit parks, a prime summer target.