The Clinton Police Department issued the following statement.
Clinton Police are asking for the assistance of the public in keeping
firearms out of the hands of criminals. Over the weekend of November
28-29, CPD responded to six (6) auto burglaries resulting from unlocked
vehicles. Four of the auto burglaries included
firearms being stolen from unlocked vehicles.
Keeping
firearms off the streets begins with responsible gun owners securing
their firearms inside their home at night and locking their vehicles
when not in use. Firearms that are left in unlocked vehicles
become tools for illegal activity across the City and region. Stolen
firearms are valuable currency for criminals, which make them a prime
target for auto burglars.
“Gun
ownership comes with great responsibility and includes securing firearms
appropriately to prevent misuse by criminals and children. This should
be a top priority for responsible owners. Taking the
firearm inside your home at night, instead of leaving it in your
vehicle, can help prevent gun related crimes and protect innocent lives
of children,” stated Chief Ford Hayman.
Recent
analysis of crime stats for 2020 show an alarming trend in unlocked
vehicles and unsecured firearms. In 2020, 52 of the 72 auto burglaries
(73%), involved stolen firearms from unlocked vehicles.
Preventing gun related crime can be as simple as locking the door of a
vehicle and removing firearms from vehicles when not in use.
Locking
vehicles and homes is the first line of defense for preventing property
crime. Of the 72 auto burglaries in 2020, 67 were unlocked vehicles.
Many residents balk at the notion that locked doors
cause forced entry, but the statistics counter that assertion.
Ninety-three percent (93%) of auto burglaries in Clinton are a result of
unlocked cars.
Taking
an extra moment to lock car doors and secure firearms, computers,
purses phones and packages by removing them from your vehicles can help
CPD lock crime out of Clinton.
Chief
Hayman noted that “we cannot become complacent and that most auto
burglaries continue to be unlocked vehicles with visible property.”
Through the busy Holiday season, CPD is asking residents to be extra vigilant in securing their homes and vehicles.
Chief
Hayman reiterated, “Whether traveling or staying in town, residents are
advised to always take safety precautions. Lock doors and close garages
when
leaving the house. Securely store valuables such as electronics,
computers, and yard equipment. Lock cars and make sure purses, wallets,
cell phones and other valuables are not left in plain sight.”
CPD has added extra patrols throughout the City, but vigilance of residents is an important tool for law enforcement. Residents who suspect suspicious behavior are encouraged to call CPD immediately to report a crime. Residents are also encouraged to remind their neighbors to lock and secure their valuables this Christmas season.
18 comments:
the NRA is ok with keeping a car gun...
This is a really valuable announcement from CPD, and the stats are true for other parts of the metro area. I bet that most readers will agree with it, and rightly so. If our communities want to have any effect on the violent crime epidemic, gun owners MUST be more responsible with their guns. STOP HELPING THE CRIMINALS get easy access to more weapons. Now, for a moment, imagine how poorly the press release would be received by blog readers if it had been issued by Chief Davis from JPD. He'd be crucified for "blaming gun owners." Sad.
@11:14 AM,
Please post supporting information the the NRA is ok with keeping a gun in an unlocked car.
Shouldn't your firearm be on your person and not in your car? What good is your gun going to do if it's in your car? Get your enhanced concealed carry license, and have the gun on you. At. All. Times. This also further supports the argument against gun control: irrespective of what you propose to do to curtail or eliminate gun ownership in the general population, criminals will ALWAYS have guns. That's what they do.
This isn't the same city where we grew up. Times are different.
Some folks likely letting them in(knowingly unlocked) to keep from paying for window and door repair.
Probably left the gun in an unlocked car while inside kroger with no mask on.
12:32, you know if a store says “no guns” then your enhanced permit does not apply. Their property rights trump your permit. Of course, most permit holders ignore the law and carry it in anyway and I’m glad to have them around me, but don’t mislead folks into thinking your enhanced carry permit makes it legal. Technically you are trespassing if you carry a gun in past that sign.
And they wonder why some people want you to get each gun you own registered.
Odds are that you will need a gun while in your car more than when you are in Walmart, so why not keep one in there? Just lock the dang car.
12:31. use the power of “google” to find NRA recommendations.
No one is in support of leaving a car unlocked overnight. That’s the idiot part.
Medical marijuana will solve some of this gun ownership problem though sweet Jamie wants you to believe the laws won't be enforced.
Concealed means concealed.
@1:05 Guns sales by dealers are documented and have been since 1968. If any of these guns are recovered there is an extremely high chance the serial number is connected with the owner and there is a 100% chance that it can be traced back to the original buyer as long as the store that sold it didn't burn down or get flooded unless the gun is an antique.
I seriously doubt there is an increase in people leaving their cars unlocked. Thieves are using key fob jammers and signal interceptors. If you want to be sure your car stays locked, you need to get a jammer to use with your key fob to ensure that the signal is not jammed or intercepted.
I have no sympathy for anyone stupid enough to leave a valuable in a vehicle.
And leaving said vehicle unlocked . . . automatically elevates the owner of said vehicle to a new level of stupidity.
Yes . . . stupid, not ignorant.
1:28 When an FFL retires his records are shipped to the ATF. Form 4473 (transfer record) must be kept for 20 years. ATF says that they can be legally discarded/destroyed after 20 years has passed. However, the ATF prefers that the FFL maintain these records for the life of your FFL. If you’d like to get rid of them after 20 years, you can turn them in to the ATF at the same location where you must send your records after you decide to stop being an FFL, the ATF’s Out of Business Records Center.
These preachy admonitions from law enforcement are actually intended to condition us to think they are doing a superb job, looking after our interests and telling us how to behave. In reality, all they're doing is showing up and writing a report, which is about all anybody can do after a burglary.
But, it's the best possible way for a Chief to get his name out there.
On the other hand, Madison is the safest city in this state and has had the same Chief for thirty years and he has never, as I recall, given these little press conferences and issued these preachy little lectures. Too many others are blinded by the stars on their shirts.
@12:50 - "you know if a store says “no guns” then your enhanced permit does not apply."
Technically false. The enhanced permit (EP) law explicitly states that you are legally authorized to CCW with the EP in places which are posted with a "no guns" sign.
Post a Comment