Overland Park police are investigating a series of motorcycle thefts throughout the city, which have all occurred at apartment complexes between midnight and 7 a.m.
The thieves, according to police, are specifically targeting sports bikes such as Suzukis, Yamahas and Kawasakis.
"When someone steals the sport bike and they crash it, maybe they are racing or something like that, they just leave the bike," said Officer John Lacy with the Overland Park Police Department. "Nine times out of ten, those types of bikes are hard to recover."
So far, this year, police have responded to more than 17 thefts.
"This time last year, we didn't have this many stolen motorcycles," said Lacy, who believes the thefts could be connected more drag racing.
41 Action News spoke to the Overland Park Police Department about an increase in drag racing and reckless driving. Last week, the department received nearly 100 calls.
Police say motorcycle owners should lock their ignitions, add loud alarm systems and park in well-lit areas. Additionally, if owners are chaining their bikes to a poll, they should use nothing less than 16 mm-wide chain.
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