Milwaukee police: Most stolen guns come from cars

MILWAUKEE - It’s not just stolen cars that are a growing problem in Milwaukee, but what’s being stolen from cars.

Milwaukee police data show the reports of firearms stolen from vehicles have been climbing since 2018 when there were 185. That rose to 298 in 2019, 542 in 2020 and 829 in 2021. Through May 24 of 2022, the latest data FOX6 News obtained from police shows that number was 316.

The way the data is tracked, it’s tough to see where the guns end up after they're stolen. Milwaukee police do track how many guns their department recovers but not how many of those guns were stolen.

Break-ins at complex lead to stolen gun

Jessie Thomas said it wasn’t just her car windows broken but her sense of safety.

"I couldn’t believe it because at 85, I’m thinking I’m safe over here," Thomas said. "It’s just scary."

She and fellow Merrill Park residents told FOX6 News they were frustrated in August with a number of car break-ins at their complex which houses those who are elderly and/or disabled.

"It’s been broken in two times in one month," Thomas said, adding that in recent years at the complex, unknown people have broken into her car six times total. 

"It’s $100 deductible every time, and my insurance keeps going up," she said. 

During a recent break-in, she had her gun stolen and reported it to police. She said she kept it in her car because she was told she couldn’t bring it into her apartment.

"You can be scared to just drive to the store from here, you know, because, especially, when you get older," Thomas said.

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Though Thomas' gun is now out of sight, it’s not out of mind.

"Mine was legal," Thomas said. "I’m just worried about mine being used to do something to somebody."

From missing stereos to missing guns

Following the path of a gun stolen from a car gets hazy, but the immediate aftermath is easy to see from Tom Almaghrabi’s vantage point as manager of Safe Auto Glass in Milwaukee.

"In my old days, we used to do stereo alarms. The first thing, they break in the car. They stole my radio, subwoofer box, amplifier. I never hear that anymore," he said. "Only thing I hear is the guns."

He said most of his customers carry guns and estimated 70% mention having had a gun stolen from their car.

"It is a big number," he said. "The crime in Milwaukee is high."

What’s driving the increase?

Theft from cars now makes up the largest source of stolen guns in the city.

The latest police data show the proportion of guns stolen from cars compared to guns stolen in general is on the rise, going from 40% in 2019 to 47% in 2020 and 53% in 2021. Through May 24 of 2022, that percentage was 59%.

Data also show that theft from vehicles has been climbing since 2019, going from 2,900 reports then to 4,404 in 2021.

In spring, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman also pointed to high gun sales during the pandemic.

"Right now, we know there’s a huge influx of firearms in our country," Norman said."We know that there’s a lot of unfortunate unattended firearms that have not been locked down, secured, and we’re finding those back into unfortunately our streets contributing to our violence."

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He said the age range of people stealing guns is "the full spectrum."

While some thieves happen upon the guns, Norman said he does hear in daily police briefings of groups targeting guns, as well.

"I understand there are groups out there looking, specifically, for firearms," he said. "I do know there are those who are finding firearms in our vehicles."

That all contributes to why Norman doesn’t recommend keeping guns in cars.

Beyond theft, crimes continue

The consequences of a stolen gun can splinter out.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson addressed the issue of stolen guns in a press conference following violence after a Milwaukee Bucks playoff game in May.

"If you’ve had a gun that’s been stolen, you’ve got to speak up because if they stole it from you, the likelihood is they’re going to use it," Johnson said. "They’re going to go out into our city and hurt someone so speak up about that."

"Definitely, we do see those anecdotal stories of seeing weapons being stolen and, unfortunately, used in violent crimes afterwards," Norman said, adding that they’re working to track how stolen guns are used in crimes.

MPD does track recovered guns. Data from the last five years show about 3,000 guns taken in as evidence per year.

Norman didn’t have an estimate on just how many stolen guns police recover.

"Unfortunately, these are some really data-intensive, data-mining, looking into in regards to this is like not stuff that is easily tracked," Norman said.

Tracking the reports

In March, FOX6 News requested all the incident reports of a gun being stolen from a car for the first week in January this year as a sample. Police returned 11.

Much of the information was redacted in the pending cases. Police said that’s because the investigations are ongoing. Police said a case stays pending until they determine no crime occurred or until an arrest is made, not on the basis of whether a gun was recovered.

In April, FOX6 News went back a year and a half, requesting reports from a week in October 2020 to see if those investigations were closed. Police returned 21 more from that week.

All but one of those reports was also pending. It said the person who reported their gun missing had just misplaced it.

Beyond that, only one other report included information that a gun had been recovered. Police confirmed that meant the gun had not been found in the other 30 of 32 total reports at the time the records were released in spring to FOX6 News.

Though details in the incident reports were sparse, they provided some context to the thefts. One happened outside a Pick ‘n Save on Capitol Drive and another outside Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital on N. Lake Drive. Another occurred in a vehicle owned by a rental car company.

The responsibility in owners’ hands

As an instructor at Brew City Shooters Supply, Adam Campbell said this is one of the most important lessons on the topic he can offer: 

"I would stress don’t leave your gun in your car. I tell people this all the time. Do not store your gun in your vehicle," Campbell said. "I can’t tell you how often, and definitely been an uptick of people coming in here, ‘Oh, I left it in my car.' Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. Your gun’s going to get stolen, especially, if you live in Milwaukee."

He said there are more options than ever before to keep your gun secure, and some would make it more difficult to steal a gun from a car.

"I still wouldn’t recommend it, but if I were going to, I would use a vault with a cable," Campbell said, stressing that the best option is to not leave it unattended in a vehicle.

"A gun that’s stolen is almost certainly going to end up in the hands of criminals. It’s unquestionable," he said. "The person that stole the gun is a criminal themselves, and he’s probably going to sell it. Guns are really easy to move on the street."

Guns sold illegally on street

It’s hard to get a clear picture of just how many stolen guns are then sold, but guns bought on the street do contribute to crime.

For example, court documents say Jarrell Stovall, found guilty of a 2020 homicide, can be seen buying a gun in a parking lot before using it to kill a 54-year-old woman.

A criminal complaint against Renado M. Hall, charged with first-degree-reckless homicide of the 18-year-old mother of his child in 2021, shows he said in his statement he bought his gun on the street because as a convicted felon, he couldn’t have one, but "would rather get caught with a firearm by police than get caught without one."

With so much of what happens with stolen guns in the shadows, only part of the damage left behind is clear.

"I wouldn’t leave without having (my gun) with me for safety if I go to the store or something" Thomas said. "But now, if I don’t have nothing, it’s scary to go outside."

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Thomas and other residents of her complex.