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KCPD sees spike in Northland burglaries where homeowners leave garage doors open

Posted at 1:30 PM, Aug 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-06 17:51:50-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Police say people living in the Northland are basically inviting criminals to steal their cars, and criminals are taking advantage. 

Detective Ryan Alden said Monday he’s investigating a series of burglaries where suspects enter homes through garage doors homeowners have left open. He said suspects also access garages by taking garage door remotes out of unlocked cars parked outside homes.

Once the suspects get into a garage, they often steal cars because the owners leave keys in the car. 

Alden’s Shoal Creek Property Crimes Division has responded to about 30 of these cases since the beginning of June. 

He said these crimes are totally preventable. 

“People get secure, they feel like it won't happen in their neighborhood, but it is happening in your neighborhood. Some of these neighborhoods are the wealthiest in the Northland and I think people just feel secure. They feel like they live in a nice neighborhood,” he said.

Alden suggested closing your garage doors, not leaving keys in your car, locking your car – even inside the garage, and removing garage door remotes from cars after using them. 

Police have identified four suspect vehicles. Alden said there is nothing connecting all four suspects as working together. 

He encourages residents in the Shoal Creek and Northland areas to look out for these cars, if they seem out of place in the neighborhood: a Silver Chevrolet Malibu from the early 2000s, an older Chevrolet van, a silver Jeep Cherokee, and a dark-colored Chevrolet truck.