Police urge vigilance during National Car Theft Awareness Month

Tulsa, Oklahoma (KTUL) — Police departments use social media to warn the public about car thefts.

In honor of National Auto Theft Awareness Month, NewsChannel 8 conducted an investigation to find out if auto theft is a problem that Green Country residents should be concerned about.

“Be careful with your vehicles at night and lock your doors,” said Ethan Hutchins, public information coordinator for the Broken Arrow Police Department.

Hutchins says they try to raise awareness about car theft at every opportunity.

“Remove valuables from your vehicle. If you park in a shopping area, park in a well-lit area.”

Hutchins says they have worked on more than 30 vehicle theft cases in the last three months.

“We have about nine to 11 vehicles stolen every month,” Hutchins said.

He says they are not alone, as many communities in the greater Tulsa area struggle with car thefts.

However, according to its 2023 annual report, Tulsa Police saw a significant decline in car thefts last year.

In 2023, there were 2,035 auto thefts in Tulsa and in 2022, there were 2,479 auto thefts. That’s an 18% decrease. And a 42% decrease from 2021, when there were 3,541 auto thefts.

The TPD report also highlighted the opening of its Real Time Information Center in August, which helped recover over 100 stolen vehicles.

“Most of these criminals are children who go out and try to find these vehicles and then disappear with the car or the valuables inside before we get there,” Hutchins said.

Hutchins says they rely on video surveillance, doorbell videos or security videos to identify the people committing these crimes.

He says they also want to hear from the public about car thefts in their neighborhood.

“Perhaps they are using a neighbor’s or neighbor’s app and communicating on social media with their Facebook page. Please do not simply compare videos or information you experience in your neighborhood with other homeowners. Call us, let us know if you are having these issues and have an officer come out and file a police report because that can create a documentation trail of incidents like this,” Hutchins said.

Hutchins says if you see someone in a driveway who looks like they have no business being there and is walking around the car with a flashlight and looking through the windows, call 911.

He says to call a non-emergency number if you find valuables missing from your car.