Waukesha County car break-ins, authorities report apparent rise

MILWAUKEE - It's easy, it's quick and it's causing a lot of headaches across Waukesha County.

Authorities said car break-ins seem to be on the rise, and there are steps drivers can take to help stop them. 

"The city of Muskego has been the victim of two recent rashes of break-ins to vehicles," said Muskego Police Det. Steve Johannik.

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That includes 16 victims at the end of March and 12 at the end of April, including one car theft. Johannik said the cases recently popped up – more often on the city's east side, typically in the morning.

"They’re not looking to make noise, they don’t want to draw attention to themselves," he said.

Johannik also said there seems to be one common denominator: unlocked doors. New Berlin Police Capt. Steve Thompson said his department is seeing a similar issue with roughly a dozen recent car break-ins.

"I just think it’s absentminded," said Thompson. "These types of crimes can happen anywhere, and what happens is they forget to lock their vehicle." 

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Thompson said it allows perpetrators to pounce: "People will try and steal if it’s easy to do."

The goal now is to make the crime less of a cakewalk. Police said to lock doors and don't leave keys or valuables in plain sight to attract crooks. They also suggest investing in floodlights with motion censors.

"Those go off and seem to scare people away," Thompson said.

New Berlin Police Department

Authorities also recommend keeping items like garage door openers indoors.

"That could potentially, if someone gets in your vehicle, provide access to your garage and even your home," said Johannik.

Police said they expect the crimes to increase as the weather warms up. They ask residents to do their part in helping to keep them minimal.