Rash of car break-ins in west Wichita; police urge owners to lock it up

Don’t leave your vehicles unlocked, even if you think they’re parked in a safe, secure place – like parked outside of your house.

That’s the advice the Wichita Police Department is giving after it received more than 15 reports of vehicle break-ins Wednesday night. The burglaries – some involving theft of loose change and small electronics – were concentrated in an area of west Wichita stretching from Maple to Central and from Tyler to Ridge Road, Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said.

The vehicles’ owners reported discovering their car doors open, and some had items missing. Some of the vehicle doors were locked, Woodrow said, while others weren’t.

Woodrow urged people to keep doors locked when their vehicles are parked and encouraged everyone to remove all valuables – even those few dollars and coins dropped in the glove box or center console – when they leave.

“A lot of these times people are looking for loose change,” Woodrow said of burglars in these types of cases. It’s a “quick grab that might not cause any damage,” she said, but it can sure be a headache for victims.

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Rash of car break-ins in west Wichita; police urge owners to lock it up."