Chief Galle: Sumner Car Prowlers are Opportunists, Inclined to Identity Theft

Sumner Police Chief John Galle said there are two trends in the : crimes of opportunity and stolen paperwork.

“We’re seeing two distinctive types of [crime]. Paperwork is being stolen from vehicles and then there crimes of opportunity, like stolen GPS’, computers or purses,” said Sumner Police Chief John Galle. “We’re finding that things are being stolen from unlocked cars. We’ve seen an increase in stealing registration and insurance paperwork… for identification fraud or title theft.”

Galle said that a majority of the car prowls are happening at night and in public parking lots. He said they occur all over the city, from the industrial district to neighborhood streets.

“Our analysis is showing that it honestly occurs in every area of town,” said Galle. “We are working with neighboring cities to develop suspects, because car prowls are not limited to city jurisdictions... typically those people will travel.”

Galle said that many Sumner residents leave their cars unlocked or unsecure at night, which leaves them vulnerable to break-ins. Patch asked if the crimes appeared to be organized and Galle admitted that there might be a “larger organization” behind the recent increase in identity, registration and title theft.

“We’ve seen an increase in property crimes in the last year. Not every city has, but we have. A lot is tied into the current economy, but at the same time I don’t think that explains everything,” said Galle. “In some sense, we’re seeing a change in demographic. We have a very trusting community, and it tends to be an older community where people may not think about locking up their cars and belongings every night. People need to be mindful of things like that.”

Sumner Police remind residents to lock up their belongings and don’t leave things like debit cards or identification in the glove box. If you see or experience a car prowl, immediately call 911.