Hoover Police seeing fewer car break-ins and fewer guns stolen from vehicles

Published: Sep. 29, 2022 at 11:29 PM CDT

HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) - Hoover Police are cracking down on car break-ins. They were able to arrest three Birmingham men earlier this week for car burglaries and vehicle theft.

Car break-ins are up across all of Jefferson County and Hoover Police have seen 249 so far this year. That is a few cars less than this time last year.

Lt. Keith Czeskaleba said three Birmingham men were arrested earlier this week for breaking into multiple cars in the Bluff Park neighborhood. He said every single one of the cars they broke into were unlocked. He says most burglars always leave locked cars alone.

A resident woke up and was able to call police with a description of the men. Hoover Police then found one man hiding behind a house and two others in their car. They are now in the Jefferson County Jail and they’re being charged with multiple counts of breaking and entering a vehicle and first-degree theft of property.

Czeskaleba said they plan to prosecute car break-ins to the fullest extent of the law, but the only way to prevent it from happening to you is to lock your car doors.

“The days of somebody smashing a side window, we just don’t get a lot of that anymore,” he said. “It is really a crime of opportunity. Doors are locked, they’re not a victim. If your doors are unlocked, they are going in your car, so it is really as simple as locking your doors.”

The department has been running a lock it or lose it campaign, encouraging residents not to leave guns in their cars. This time last year, they had 48 guns stolen, but this year, they have only seen 19.

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