WGNO

Big jump in car burglaries, and locking doors often isn’t enough

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Police Department is seeing a big increase in car burglaries.  In many of the cases, the victims locked their car doors, but that wasn’t enough to stop the crooks.

The issue is the latest one to roll on the Wheel of Justice.

According to Jeff Asher, the City Council Public Safety Analyst, New Orleans started to see an increase in car burglaries over the summer of 2018.  For the six years prior to that, the number of cases each year fluctuated slightly.  But since then, vehicle burglaries are up 300 percent.

If you check the NOPD’s YouTube channel, there’s no shortage of security camera footage that shows car burglars in the act.  For years, police have urged people to make sure they lock their cars.  But lately, many of the cases show criminals breaking the windows of cars to get inside them.

We have a series of cases to show you.  Just click on the video button at the top of this page to see them.

If you have information that could solve any of the cases, call CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111.  Remember, you don’t have to reveal your name or testify in court, and you could be eligible to earn a cash reward.

So far, more than 400 people have landed behind bars after their cases rolled on the Wheel of Justice.

404 people have been booked after their cases rolled on the Wheel of Justice