CINCINNATI — Cincinnati city leaders are warning gun owners to store their weapons responsibly, especially when it comes to keeping them in your car.
Mayor Aftab Pureval said 40% of the illegal weapons on Cincinnati streets have been stolen from cars.
“We have seen, like everywhere else in the country, a real problem with thefts of Kias and Hyundais,” said Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge. “We have also seen those thefts of those cars associated with violent crime in our communities.”
The data appears to follow a national trend. A report from Everytown Research & Policy found gun thefts from cars are the largest source of stolen guns in the country. The group analyzed FBI crime data through 2020 from 149 cities.
John Hazeres, who owns Elite Auto Glass, has been busy dealing with car break-ins.
“It's been three months since I've really seen an influx,” he said.
WCPO has highlighted an increase in car break-ins across the Tri-State over the last few months. In Price Hill, residents and employees told crews roughly 30 cars were broken into in July.
Around the same time, Colerain Township police reported break-insthat impacted around 50 cars.
Last month, Clearcreek Township police estimated around 20 cars were broken into over the course of two occasions.
Hazeres said he has been doing around seven repairs a week. Previously, he was doing two.
“Everybody that I've talked to that had something stolen, it's always been a gun,” he said. “Never money. Never credit cards.”
Former Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Dale Menkhaus said many of the thefts and break-ins are done by kids.
“With social media, TikTok, Facebook, they teach them how to steal the cars and then they share,” he said.
Menkhaus wants to see more accountability for suspects and, in the case of juvenile suspects, their parents.
As for stolen weapons, Menkhaus said suspects understand guns are kept in cars.
“Put it in the house,” he said. “Don't leave it in the car. Even though you think it's in a lock box or in a locked glove compartment, they're so easy to break open.”
For victims with or without a weapon, a broken window alone can be a headache.
“For door glass you're going to spend close to $300,” Hazeres said. “The inconvenience is worse because you got glass everywhere in your car for months.”
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