Starkville PD urges public to keep vehicle doors locked

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Starkville Police are urging people to be on the look-out for car burglars after a string of reports this past month.

They said they’re expecting a spike in this type of crime with the arrival of students this semester.

“Almost every single auto burglary that is reported in the city of Starkville is an unsecured vehicle,” said Sgt. Brandon Lovelady with the Starkville Police Department.

He said the city has experienced a spike in auto burglaries over the past month, and they are expecting to see even more of an increase in the next few weeks.

“You know, we’re going to have a large influx of population come here soon, and some individuals are used to living down old country roads and in a small town where they don’t have to worry about these things, so we do see a spike sometimes in auto burglaries and that’s just throughout the year at different times,” said Lovelady.

Lovelady said the number one spot for car break-ins is a student housing parking lot.

“We see them a lot in apartment complexes. You have so many vehicles densely packed into a parking lot, and it’s a target opportunity. All you have to do is, early in the morning, and it’s typically the case, somebody is going door-to-door on a vehicle,” said Lovelady.

Typically, the thieves take things like firearms, electronics, money, or anything of value that’s visible through the window.

Lovelady said besides keeping your door locked at all times, there’s only one way to combat the issue.

“We’ve had a couple of citizens that have reported suspicious activity, and we’ve made some arrests off of it– Just seeing individuals looking into vehicles, pulling on door handles, just general suspicious activity… If you see something, say something,” said Lovelady.

Starkville Police said if you see suspicious activity around a vehicle, give them a call at (662) 323-4134.