Car thefts on the rise, nearly half from drivers leaving keys in the vehicle

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - It’s that time of the year when you’re likely hopping into a cold car to start your morning commute, but the advice from Lincoln Police is to not leave your car unattended and running.

Over the weekend LPD responded to 11 auto theft reports, three of which the vehicle keys/key fobs were left inside.

So far this year, LPD has reported 694 car thefts in Lincoln, a significant increase from 484 that were taken during the entire 2021 year. Of those vehicles, just over 65 percent were left unlocked and 49.7 percent were from someone leaving keys in the car.

“Having your car running while it’s unlocked is kind of an invitation for thieves,” Sgt. Chris Vollmer with the Lincoln Police Department said. “The issue covers all four seasons, if your car is unlocked with the keys inside of it your odds of it getting taken are considerably higher.”

Taking a further look into the colder months of the year, between October 2020 through March 2021, a third of the vehicles stolen were from someone leaving their car running with the keys inside. Throughout 2021, the most amount of cars stolen in any given month was during November.

“It really is that simple; half of all auto thefts could be prevented if the car was locked and the keys weren’t inside,” Vollmer said. “Nobody likes getting into a cold car, but I can’t imagine it’s a good feeling to come out to the car that was warming up to find it is no longer there.”

Of the cars that are stolen, LPD said 87 percent of them are recovered.

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