KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Many police departments in the Kansas City metro say one of the most frequently reported crimes is car break-ins.
“I would say the biggest thing is unlocked cars,” said Capt. Dyon Harper, a spokesman for the Raytown Police Department.
To cut down on these preventable crimes, some police departments around the metro, including Raytown and Overland Park, are starting a "9 p.m. Routine" campaign on social media.
As part of the campaign, the departments send out reminders, such as to close windows and lock doors, on Facebook and Twitter a few times a week at 9 p.m.
“Making sure there are no valuables left in their cars, bring those inside. Lock their car doors,” Harper said. “Make sure all the house doors and windows are closed and locked, the garage door is down. It could be not leaving the kid’s bike out in the front yard.”
Overland Park police spokesman Officer John Lacy said the department has put out similar messages over and over again, but people still leave their doors unlocked.
“About 75% of the vehicles that are burglarized in Overland Park are from unlocked vehicles,” Lacy said.
Overland Park police will send out reminders mostly on the weekends, because that’s when the most break-ins occur, Lacy said.
Both the Raytown and Overland Park police departments have many followers on social media, so they believe that’s the best place to reach people.
Ultimately, police hope the 9 p.m. Routine will stick and people will form a habit.
Raytown resident Nell Mathews, who has worked in the security industry for a long time, said it’s also important to form relationships with neighbors.
“If you don’t have a neighbor buddy, you need to create a neighbor buddy that will say, ‘hey, your garage door is still up,’” Mathews said.
