The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is warning residents to lock their vehicles and securely store their firearms due to an increase in firearm thefts from unlocked vehicles.
"It's no secret that crime across America is kind of increased here lately," Detective Brevin Cameron said at a news conference Tuesday.
While certain non-violent property crimes have decreased, spikes in auto thefts, auto burglaries and other more violent crimes have seen spikes in most larger cities that coincided with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Hamilton County, Cameron said there have been 32 firearms stolen and 85 vehicle burglaries since Aug. 1. Thirteen of those firearms were stolen in the past 10 days. And all of the vehicles from which the firearms were stolen were believed to have been unlocked.
The Stillwater Subdivision in Ooltewah has been one of the hardest-hit areas since the rash of thefts occurred, sheriff's office spokesperson Matt Lea said.
"They're trying doors," Cameron said. "They'll rummage the vehicle ... for about 30 seconds or a minute, and they take what they can of value out. They are targeting firearms. It seems like that's a trend that that's more what they're focusing on now. A lot of times, they'll actually leave things like laptops."
And typically, Cameron said, "when a crime occurs that involves a firearm, a lot of times, that firearm is a stolen weapon."
Tips to ensure your firearms and other property are protected
— Always remove your firearm from your vehicle when you exit and secure it safely in your residence.— Never leave your firearm unattended where thieves or small children can gain access to it.— Always lock and remove any valuables or weapons from your vehicle when not in use (purses, wallets, iPods, laptops, external GPS systems, and cell phones, etc).— Consider installing an alarm system and exterior cameras for added security.— Always keep your home locked, even when you are inside.— Never leave your lawn equipment out when not in use such as gas blowers, weed-eaters, or other valuable items that can easily stolen.— If your car has been broken into, call law enforcement.Source: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
In Chattanooga alone, this year has seen an increase in shootings - 20% more than last year - matching numbers from 2016, a year that saw a bloody, weekslong gang war. But only a small percentage of this year's incidents have been confirmed to be gang-related, according to Chattanooga police.
One thing investigators hope the public will do is to "see something, say something."
"A lot of times, when we come out to canvass neighborhoods, and we're talking to other residents in those neighborhoods, they say, 'Yeah, my vehicle was rummaged through, but I don't feel like making a report,'" Cameron said. "If you see something that's suspicious, by all means call us. That's what we're here for. We're happy to take the call, and you may have that piece of the puzzle that we're missing as an investigation that we need to further our investigation or to make an arrest.
"Think of it as putting together a puzzle. If you've ever built a puzzle, you've got the box with a picture that the puzzle came with. So you've got an idea of what you're working with and what your end result is. In law enforcement, it's like somebody's taken that box of puzzle pieces, taken about three-fourths of the puzzle pieces away from us, and then they've thrown them across the room and said, 'Hey, here you go. Put this together.' And we have nothing to go off of. So it's very important for people to contact us with anything suspicious or ... if their vehicle's been rummaged through or if they have security camera footage."
Anyone with information regarding the recent car break-ins is asked to call HCSO's criminal investigations division at 423-209-8500.
Contact Rosana Hughes at 423-757-6327, rhughes@timesfreepress.com or follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.