By Stacey Tinsley, stinsley@bossierpress.com
South Bossier residents are saying they’ve experienced an increase in attempted car break-ins and are taking steps to protect themselves and their property.
Earlier this month a south Bossier resident, whose identity is being withheld for safety, reported sitting in her home and being startled by mobile alerts indicating someone was touching her husband’s vehicle.
“I went and checked the cameras to see what it was and saw two kids trying to open the vehicle door. I then called the police to report what happened. It was very scary,” said the resident.
Following that incident, a few of the resident’s friends indicated that they had also fallen victim to vehicle burglaries. That caused the resident to install video surveillance cameras outside of her home for protection.
“I am so glad that we installed the cameras. It was definitely money well spent. It gives you piece of mind,” said the resident.
Bossier City Public Information Officer Traci Landry said while reported vehicle burglaries have seen an “uptick” in the south Bossier area recently, it’s not exactly an outbreak of criminal activity.
“There has been a slight uptick in reported vehicle burglaries in that area recently. However, we have not seen a rash or outbreak of criminal activity in any particular subdivision. These types of crimes typically rise in the spring and summer months when the weather is warmer,” said Landry.
Landry says that investigators with the Property Crimes Unit are actively pursuing open vehicle burglary cases.
“The cases are being actively worked by detectives. Investigators with the Property Crimes Unit have an arrest warrant for a subject who has been connected to one of the vehicle burglaries,” she said.
For the year to date, 17 vehicle burglaries have been reported in subdivisions south of Bossier City’s Westgate Drive. That number is down nearly half from last year’s numbers.
From January 1, 2018 to June 20, 2018 there were a total of 31 reported vehicle burglaries.
Car burglaries are one of the easiest crimes to prevent by simply locking your doors. Though many think of a car break-in as a smash-and-grab type scenario, that is far from the truth.
“Thieves look for an easy opportunity, going around lifting door handles to find an unlocked vehicle. If a vehicle is locked they’ll most likely move on,” said Landry.
The Bossier City Police and Bossier Sheriff’s Office have joined forces to start a campaign preventing car burglaries and thefts. Called Lock, Observe, Call (LOC), the campaign encourages residents to be mindful of their property and their surroundings.
“The numbers seem to indicate that awareness campaigns like Lock, Observe, Call (LOC) and policing efforts by our department are working,” Landry said.
