Car Break-Ins On The Rise In The Village: Shorewood Police

SHOREWOOD, WI—The Shorewood Police Department has received more reports of vehicle break-ins this week alone than they did during the first five months in 2020, a Facebook post from the department showed.

In just this past week, Shorewood police received reports of six car break-ins and one stolen vehicle: A drastic increase from when the Department saw four car break-ins reported between January-May 2020.

Every vehicle theft incident that police reported this past week was within a block of Capitol Drive. Four of the incidents were within two blocks of Village Hall, a map posted by the Department showed.

One victim of a break-in was Village Trustee Arthur Ircink, as he told CBS 58. Luckily, Ircink's Ring camera caught the crime on film and police found a suspect shortly after.

Ircink's car theft experience happened previous to this week's uptick in break-ins, he told Patch, but he was not one of the victims this week.

Since the start of 2021, Shorewood Police Department has received reports of more than 20 vehicle break-ins. Overall, there has been a 400 percent increase in car break-ins during January-May each year since 2019, the post said.

January to May 2019: 3 reported car break-ins.

January to May 2020: 4 reported car break-ins.

January to May 2021: 15 reported car break-ins.

June 2021: 6 reported break-ins and one stolen vehicle so far.

Shorewood Police Department included a few tips to prevent vehicle thefts:

• Lock your doors and roll up your windows all the way, regardless of where the car is parked.
• Do not leave any types of keys in your car- Home, vehicle or otherwise.
• Consider using anti-theft devices such as steering wheel and brake pedal locks.
• Install motion cameras on your property pointed at your car.
• Avoid leaving anything in your car that may interest a thief, even if it seems insignificant.