Thieves are taking off with cars in Kansas City at an alarming rate.
Motor vehicle thefts in Kansas City:
- 2013 – 4,157
- 2014 – 3,850
In 2014, that equaled 837 vehicles stolen per 100,000 people.
Well above the rate of the worst hit metro area of San Francisco/Oakland-which had a rate of 633 per 100,000 people in 2014, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
Ron Edwards opened up his car lot in the Northland just a few months ago. In that time, people have broken into and stolen three trucks from his lot.
“It's very troubling. For a guy trying to make ends meet and raise a family, I mean we just opened this place; we've been here for two months and now I've got to take a $20,000 hit like that, $25,000. It's very frustrating,” Edwards remarked.
Police recovered two of the cars but not without plenty of damage.
Edwards explained, “It had stolen plates on it, they found meth in the truck, they had basically destroyed the truck and I had to spend like $4,000 on it after I got it back.”
The NICB compiled a list of recommendations to help keep your car secure:
- Common Sense Approach: Remove keys from ignition, lock doors/close windows, park in well-lit area
- Warning Device: Audible alarms, brake/wheel locks, theft deterrent decals
- Immobilizing Device: Smart keys, fuse cut-offs, kill switches
- Tracking Device
Edwards just hoped something would change, “I think there should be a lot stronger penalty against it, and obviously it's not that bad or they wouldn't keep doing it. For a poor small business owner like me, we're out thousands and thousands of dollars.”
The Kansas City, MO/KS metro placed 37th on the list of cities ranked for car theft. Kansas City, Mo. alone made up more than half of those thefts.
.@kcpolice Several reports of auto thefts being reported around metro area this morning. Do not leave running vehicles unattended w/keys.
— chiefforte (@ChiefForte) January 6, 2016
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Shannon Halligan can be reached at shannon.halligan@kshb.com.
