Car break-ins up by nearly 20 percent in Tacoma

TACOMA, WA - Tacoma Police say there has been more than 300 car break-ins this year, and some victims say they want more to be done.
Officer Loretta Cool with Tacoma Police says this year there has been 309 car prowls reported; this a 19.7% increase from last year, she said.

“It almost feels like you’re being violated,” said Danny Torres.

Torres says his car was broken into twice in the last couple months. He says the first time the thief got away with thousands of dollars’ worth of his tools.

Torres says he did not feel the crime was given enough attention.

“The police really made me feel like it happens to a lot of people so there is nothing you can do about it,” he said.

Tacoma Police say there is not much they can do when thieves break-into your vehicle.

“It’s not that we don’t care about your property being stolen, it’s that there is nothing there that we can do at the scene that will enhance us catching the bad guy,” said Cool.

Cool says unless the crook goes inside your car, often not enough evidence is left behind to track the suspect down.

She says you can still protect your stuff.

“I’ve always said vehicle prowls are the number one preventable crime,” said Cool.

She says when thieves get caught, they tell police they broke into a car because they saw something they wanted.

Cool says making sure there is nothing in sight or making sure there is nothing in your car will help prevent you from being a victim.

She says even though officers do not respond to all break in calls, Tacoma Police do keep track of them and put extra officers in areas that are having problems.