St. Joseph Chief of Police, Chris Connally said auto theft and theft from autos has been a growing problem over the past year and a half. He’s reminding drivers to lock the doors.

“Most of these are vehicles where the cars are still running and most of the thefts from autos are unlocked cars,” Connally said. “Some of the thefts that aren’t unlocked are oftentimes when there’s something that someone considers worth stealing in sight.”

Connally is telling people to remember not to make it easy for thieves.

“Lock your car. Don’t make it easy,” Connally said. “Don’t leave valuables in your car.”

Connally suggests investing in a remote start if drivers want to leave their vehicles running. On public streets in St. Joseph it is illegal to leave a vehicle unattended and running.

“In some of these cases the person who’s stealing is riding in another car and it only takes as long as it takes the person to exit that car, jump in the driver’s seat and go,” Connally said. “We can help ourselves an awful lot in some of these cases just by taking the time to shut off the car. Yes, it might be a little bit warmer, but it’s a lot less of a hassle.”

Connally said the trend in increased thefts isn’t just in St. Joseph.

“It’s not really unique to us.  I’ve talked to chiefs from a lot of our jurisdictions and they’re seeing a similar pattern,” Connally said. “The county has seen a bit of a spike also and we’re also recovering some cars that are from outside of St. Joe in St. Joe.”