Weapons among items taken in North Little Rock car burglaries; police urge residents to lock vehicles

More than two dozen vehicle break-ins have been reported in North Little Rock so far this month, and at least five of those cases have involved guns being stolen, authorities said.

While the total number of car burglaries is about average, police said the number of weapons stolen is a cause for concern.

Sgt. Brian Dedrick, a North Little Rock Police Department spokesman, said Thursday that purses and electronics items have also been stolen from residents in recent weeks.

“In a matter of seconds, those items can be stolen,” he said.

The break-ins are spread out fairly evenly across North Little Rock, with thieves typically going “car to car” in search of unlocked vehicles with valuables inside, police said.

At least 15 burglaries involved unlocked vehicles, according to data obtained by Arkansas Online. In 11 other cases, windows were broken out. The circumstances of other reports were not clear.

“Residents get a little complacent when they pull into their driveway, and feel comfortable in their neighborhood,” Dedrick said, stressing the importance of taking precautions.

On social media, the North Little Rock Police Department routinely posts what it calls the “9 p.m. routine,” a nightly task of ensuring that vehicles are locked and that valuables are not left inside.

The posts often have memes or popular references attached — including one with an image of Yoda that reads: “Doors you must lock, valuables removed. #9pmroutine you will.”

Dedrick said it is crucial that firearms be removed from vehicles to prevent them from getting into the wrong hands. None of the guns stolen this month have been recovered, he said.

Often complicating break-in cases, Dedrick said, are delays in reporting and a lack of clues.

Dedrick advised North Little Rock residents to look out for their neighborhoods and to report suspicious activity immediately upon seeing it.

Seventy-five vehicle break-ins were reported in November, and in October, 73 vehicles were burglarized in the city — figures that are on par with the average in those months, Dedrick said.

Dedrick said between 70 to 80 break-ins are reported in most months of the year, with the exception of summer months.

Earlier this year, Little Rock police also for a time used social media to promote the "9 p.m. routine."

Eighty-eight cases of breaking-and-entering involving vehicles in Arkansas' capital city have reported this month through Thursday, police spokesman Steve Moore said. That is on average with typical figures for this time of year, he added.

The "9 p.m. routine" has grown in recent months into a nationwide social media campaign by law enforcement agencies. Its origin is not clear.

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