The rise in calls regarding vehicle prowling was substantial enough for the Pullman PD to issue a warning and offer the public some preventive advice, according to an Instagram post made by the department on Nov. 21.
According to Pullman PD’s call logs, in the 24 hours between Nov. 20 and 21, the department received 11 reports about vehicle break-ins and attempted vehicle thefts around Pullman.
Pullman PD Commander Aaron Breshears said many of the vehicle prowls reported on resulted in successful break-ins, where the vehicle was rummaged through for valuables.
Three out of the 11 vehicles reported also showed damage to the steering columns, indicating attempts at vehicle hotwiring, Breshears said. However, none of the hotwiring attempts proved successful and no vehicles were stolen.
Since the investigation is ongoing, the police department cannot say at this point if all the attempted break-ins are related.
“We don’t want to assume too much, but we suspect that some of the attempts were likely by the same individual because of the rudimentary way they attempted to steal the car,” Breshears said. “So those [crimes] are likely related because of how the steering columns were damaged.”
Breshears said the proximity of some of the vehicle prowls that were committed is also a factor in the department’s theories on the crime’s relation.
“When you have multiple [prowls] that are on the same street, those appeared likely related. When one pops up on the other side of town, however, we can’t say it’s related,” Breshears said.
The reported instances of prowls and attempted hotwiring occurred mainly around residential areas of town, including SE Derby St. and newer subdivisions built near SW Cayuse St, he said.
While the rapid trend in calls occurred primarily between Nov. 20-21, there was one call about vehicle prowling made before Nov. 20 and there have been three reported instances since Nov. 21, Breshears said.
While the police department hopes the trend of increased vehicle prowls has ended, Breshears said he recommends recommends taking preventive steps to avoid potential victimization. Those include parking in well-lit areas, making sure to lock all vehicles and avoiding leaving valuables like firearms and cash in vehicles.
“We always recommend people don’t leave valuables in their vehicles that are in view from outside…the most likely target of most vehicle prowlers is simple and easy, which is loose change or cash,” he said. “If you leave valuables in your car, I wouldn’t leave anything more than you’re willing to have stolen.”
