Tim Renaud, Kayla Morton, Mariah Ellis and Gilat Melamed
2 minutes ago
CHARLESTON, SC (WCBD/WNCN) – The Charleston and Raleigh police departments are once again seeing an increase in break-ins and car damage.
It comes after the Charlotte Police Department said there were 50 theft from motor vehicle incidents in April. He said 38 of those were from cars left unlocked and unsecured.
“This also resulted in the theft of a total of eight firearms from the cars,” the department said. “Please help us in our efforts to keep our community safe by locking your doors.”
Police shared a video sent to them by a downtown resident showing someone trying to break into a car.
“Locking your doors can be the simple step that prevents you from becoming a victim of a burglary,” police said.
Police departments, such as Charleston, often remind residents of the “9 p.m. routine.” It’s a social media campaign designed to encourage everyone to stop and make sure their property is locked and safe.
The routine includes tips such as removing valuables from the car, locking doors, turning on exterior lights and locking the house, often before people go to bed for the night.
In addition, Raleigh has seen a string of car thefts and vandalism in recent weeks.
On April 25, the neighborhoods of Budleigh and Sunset Hills had cars smashed by rocks overnight.
Those in need of repairs were flooding auto repair shops in Raleigh, dropping thousands of dollars for a single repair.
“We’ve seen customers spend $1,000 or $1,200 for three pieces of glass,” repairman Joe McConnell told CBS 17’s Mariah Ellis on April 28.
McConnell specifically said the people he helped were targeted near West and Hargett streets, located in the downtown Raleigh area.
In addition, criminals also target gated communities.
Ruth Anne Warner said her car was broken into Monday morning while it was parked in the garage of her apartment building on Hillsborough Street. Her window was broken and items from the center console were spread in and out of her car, she told CBS 17’s Gilat Melamed on Tuesday.
“The police officer I spoke with said this has been going on for a week and he believes it’s the same group of people that have only been targeting other apartment buildings in the area,” Warner said.
CBS 17 has asked the Raleigh Police Department several times if there has been an increase in these types of crimes both in the Glenwood South area and in other areas, but has not yet received a response from police on that question specific
