COLUMBIA − Attempted car break-ins and theft are on the rise throughout Columbia and the Columbia Police Department urges people to stay vigilant.
"Over the last couple of years, attempted vehicle break-ins and vehicle break-ins have become one of the highest reported crimes in Columbia," police department spokesperson Christian Tabak said. "There's been a literal boom."
According to Columbia police, officers investigated 503 incidents in 2020, 754 in 2021, and 916 in 2022. Tabak says the department expects incidents to exceed numbers reported in 2022.
Tabak says there's no particular area where it all the break-ins are concentrated. He said this is a prevalent issue in not just Columbia, but also in Boone County, the state and nationally.
"This is the new kind of property crime of choice," Tabak said.
Tabak said he highly encourages people to lock their doors, roll their windows up and for the community to work with each other and the police department.
"As much as we would like to be on top of things everywhere at once, especially with our current staffing, it's impossible to be everywhere. The more we get that community feedback, the more we get the eyes on the ground from citizens that really helps us address the problem."
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