About 400 guns per year are stolen from vehicles in Lexington. How you can prevent it
The Lexington Police Department is looking to slow down a rising trend of guns being stolen from vehicles.
On average, roughly 400 guns are stolen from vehicles in Lexington each year, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said in a public service announcement video with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Across Kentucky, approximately 3,000 guns are stolen from vehicles yearly, which averages out to over eight thefts a day.
Many gun thefts stem from unlocked vehicles, said ATF special agent Shawn Morrow in the PSA.
“Once these firearms are stolen, they don’t simply disappear,” Morrow said. “These guns are often trafficked and used to commit violent crimes.”
How many thefts happen in Lexington?
Lexington police began tracking gun thefts from vehicle reports in December 2020. Since then, the number of stolen gun from vehicle reports have progressively risen. Lexington police data show:
- December 2020: 27 reports
- 2021: 407 reports
- 2022: 421 reports
- 2023 (through the end of August): 261 reports
In July 2023, the latest data available from LPD, there were 51 reports of guns being stolen from vehicles, nearly double the amount from the first month of tracking less than three years ago.
From January to August of this year there have been a total of 261 gun thefts from vehicles, which averages out to roughly 33 gun thefts from vehicles per month. If that average continues for the rest of 2023, there will be approximately 396 gun thefts from vehicles, a steep drop from the recent trend.
What can be done to prevent a theft?
The best way to prevent theft and slow the trend is to keep firearms out of vehicles during evening hours, Hannah Sloan, a spokesperson for the Lexington Police Department, said. If a gun owner has to leave the weapon in a vehicle, put the firearm in the trunk or a lockable compartment out of plain view, and lock the vehicle’s doors.
“Don’t assume just because your doors are locked that it will stop a crime from occurring,” Morrow said in the PSA. “Law enforcement officers also respond to incidents of broken car windows and forced entry into vehicles by criminals.”
Morrow also said to record the make, model and serial number of a firearm and report any gun thefts from vehicles to law enforcement immediately.
“These are preventable crimes, that’s why we need your help to keep our community safe,” Weathers said in the PSA.
Unsolved case
The most recent crime of the week by the Bluegrass Crime Stoppers was about a gun theft from a vehicle report. The theft happened at the Candlewood Suites on Adcolor Drive on Sept. 22.
Lexington police said the suspects damaged the back driver’s side window and stole multiple guns, including two rifles. The suspects got away and remain at large.
Investigators are encouraging people with information about the incident to come forward and speak with police. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling (859) 253-2020, online at www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com, or through the P3 tips app available at www.p3tips.com.
This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 11:27 AM.
