New Hope Police Warn of Theft from Vehicles
New Hope Police say that since October 26, they’ve seen an increase in garage burglaries, and reports from people saying they’ve had items stolen from their cars. The city joins other area municipalities which have had upticks in vehicle break-ins this year.
At least 11 incidents happened in an area near Winnetka Avenue between 40th Avenue and 28th Avenue.
A Crime of Opportunity
Cars involved in most of the cases were unlocked. But in other cases, the thieves smashed windows because valuables were in plain sight in locked cars.
“It’s a crime of opportunity,” said New Hope Police Captain Scott Slawson. “We’ve seen it all summer. In fact it’s been a trend over the past few years where unlocked garages and unlocked vehicles are the target. We just want to remind people, to keep the valuables out of sight and lock your cars and garages.”
Slawson says police arrested two people and recovered some property thanks to reports from residents, but other incidents have occurred since those arrests.
New Hope police want anyone who experienced a vehicle-related crime in October to file a report.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should either contact Detective Ben Harty, call the non-emergency dispatch number at (952) 258-5321, or stop into the department lobby.
