Wheel, Tire Thefts Hit Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, MI — In a Friday letter to residents via Facebook, Birmingham Police Chief Mark Clemence acknowledged the problem the city and Metro Detroit is having with thieves stealing car wheels and tires. He pointed to two incidents in Birmingham last week as examples.

Between 9 p.m. on July 12 and 5 a.m. on July 13, two cars parked on Suffield Street had their wheels and tires stolen and were left on cinder blocks, Clemence wrote. He didn’t indicate if any arrests had been made in connection with the thefts or if police has persons of interest.

“The police department will continue to actively patrol neighborhoods as well as coordinate with other law enforcement agencies and specialized units in other communities who are also experiencing these types of thefts to investigate these organized theft rings,” Clemence wrote.

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In the meantime the Police Chief made several recommendations to kee Birmingham residents’ vehicles safe:

• Park vehicles in your driveway as close to your residence as possible.
• Keep as many outside lights on as possible.
• Contact police if you hear or see anything suspicious.

“Tips from the public have assisted the police department in the past with arresting these organized theft crews,” Clemence wrote in the Facebook post.

File photo