ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul Police have responded, as usual, to another spike in car thefts this winter.
Public Information Officer Steve Linders said 68 cars were stolen last week alone — with 38 of those cases due to people leaving their cars running, unattended and unlocked.
"It's across the city," Linders said. "East Side. North End. Highland. Frogtown. Pretty much everywhere, anywhere there's a car running."
The department tweeted earlier in the month that nine unattended cars were stolen in two days.
Police cautioned that the stolen cars are often then used in more serious crimes, ranging from robberies to drive-by shootings. And when officers spot the stolen cars on the streets, there can be more trouble.
"Sometimes, these drivers are fleeing in stolen vehicles. And that's creating dangerous situations in our neighborhoods," Linders said. "Sometimes, they're taking off at high speeds."
Last winter, in one particularly egregious example, suspects led police on a chase from St. Paul after stealing an unattended car — and then stole yet another unattended car in Blaine after they crashed the first one.
Which takes us back to that simple message:
"Turn your car off," Chris Peterson said as he walked through the Highland Park neighborhood in St. Paul. "Better for the environment."