Law enforcment keeping an eye on firearm thefts out of vehicles

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Law enforcement is keeping a closer eye on the number of firearm thefts out of vehicles

During a College City Council meeting on Feb. 8 College Station Police Department shared an update along with statistics. Those statistics included the number of firearm thefts from vehicles.

College Station Police said there have been over 500 guns stolen from cars in the last four years, 105 in 2023, 123 in 2022, 174 in 2021, and 139 in 2020.

As for Bryan Police, they say there were a little over 100 firearms stolen from vehicles in the last two years, 44 in 2023 and 61 in 2022.

Brazos County Sheriff’s Office says in 2023, there was a total of 18 firearm thefts from vehicles.

Crime Prevention Deputy/Public Information Officer with the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, Chris Searles, says what has led to more thefts is people not properly locking guns away.

“Over time, we’ve had quite a few vehicles broken into. People leave their guns and stuff inside the console or the glove box, or just stashed somewhere in the vehicle. The people that have broken into [the cars] have found them and have taken them,” said Searles. “Some of the vehicles were left unlocked and some of the vehicles were locked and it was a smash-and-grab type of thing.”

Once they’re stolen, the guns may get into the wrong hands and the owners usually never see them again, according to law enforcement.

“These guns are falling into hands that don’t need them, in the hands of felons and other criminals and you don’t know what they’re going to do with them. A lot of times we don’t get these guns back,” said Searles. “There’s no telling where those guns go. They could go to another state, they could be floating around here in town, and if we don’t have any evidence on who might have broken into the car- fingerprints or pictures or anything like that- we don’t know where these guns have gone so they’ve fallen into the hands of criminals, bad guys.”

Law enforcement says this is a common problem and while they haven’t necessarily seen an increase in firearm theft from vehicles, they have not seen a large decrease either.

Deputy Searles says guns should be stored in a safe place in your home and not left in your vehicle. He also stresses the need to lock your car when you’re not using it.

College Station Police say they want to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. The public can help by making sure you store your gun inside your home and keep your vehicle locked.