RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) —Amid this season of giving, the Richmond Police Department is more concerned of those who’ve been taking — as recent statistics show as of Monday, Nov. 13, 1,324 cars have been reported stolen in the City of Richmond this year thus far.
The updated statistics reveal a 70% increase compared to the 780 vehicles stolen this time last year.
Richmond Police Lieutenant James Hogan tells 8News this is a significant influx and a problem his team is actively trying to tackle.
“Every day,” Lt. Hogan said when asked how often he responds to calls of motor vehicle thefts.
Lt. Hogan adds oftentimes he is called to these crimes multiple times a day.
To put these statistics into context, vehicle thefts have also increased in Henrico County this year by only 27% while motor vehicle thefts have decreased in Chesterfield County with 328 cases this year as of October.
Lt. Hogan says in Richmond it is more about the type of car than the location of the car.
“If you’re driving a Hyundai or a Kia,” Lt. Hogan began. “We would ask that you go to your dealership and you make sure that you have the most updated work done on your car. And we ask you invest in a wheel lock.”
Last year, 80 Hyundais and Kias were stolen in the city. This year, the total is more than 700.
However, in terms of geography, Lt. Hogan noted the Church Hill and Manchester neighborhoods have seen noticeably high volumes of calls.
“Recently with all of the new construction, a lot of the high-density residential construction that has offsite parking can be very susceptible,” Lt. Hogan explained.
Officials recommend community members always lock their doors, never leave cars running unattended and to not tempt thieves by leaving shopping bags in the car.
With one month left in the year, Lt. Hogan hopes to turn the trend around.
“It does seem like we’ve plateaued,” the lieutenant said. “But we’ve plateaued at a really, really high number right now. It’s exponentially higher than what we saw in the past year, and we would hate to see it be sustained.”
