BLOOMFIELD TWP. (WWJ) – Police in Bloomfield Township are warning residents to lock their cars, as the community has seen a spike in crime over the last two or three months.
Police officials tell WWJ groups of thieves have been targeting neighborhoods in the township, stealing cars and the valuables inside them simply by opening their doors.
Officer Nick Soley says victims have had guns, laptops, money and other valuables swiped from their unlocked cars by thieves from outside the community. In some instances, the keys have been left inside and the crooks have driven right off.
Most recently, Solely says, thieves have targeted the township's northeast side. Authorities believe the suspects are from out of town and keep coming back.
"If you have luck, you're gonna continue to come back. And they've had a lot of luck in our township with unlocked vehicles, with personal items left in vehicles, with key fobs left in vehicles, so they're easily taking and stealing cars right out of the driveway without any damage to the vehicles."
Solely tells WWJ police know where the suspects are coming from, but couldn't release that information, due to the ongoing investigation.
It was not immediately clear how many thefts have been reported or exactly how many cars have been stolen, but the thieves seem to have a system, according to Soley.
"They get in, they hit the break, they push that automatic start, and they're not even searching for the keys. They know if it starts, that key's somewhere in there and they'll look for it later and they're off," he said. "And they usually, from what we see on RIng cameras and surveillance cameras, this is groups of people, it's not one individual. They have a plan to get valuables and to get cars, and that's just what they're doing here and in surrounding communities as well."
Soley says residents should lock their cars and NEVER store valuables inside them.
Anyone who may have been a victim or knows something about the recent rash of thefts should contact Bloomfield Township police.
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