DI sees increased car thefts in the past two years

Regular readers that peruse The Daniel Island News police blotter may notice a pattern in crimes on the island, particularly thefts from motor vehicles. Prior to 2015, there were enough instances of property stolen from cars to raise a few eyebrows. But, in the past two years, the rate has steadily decreased for the Daniel Island area, dropping 48.6 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to City of Charleston Police Department crime statistics.

While the numbers made an impressive leap backwards in thefts from motor vehicles (objects stolen from cars), motor vehicles thefts (cars stolen) rose 37.5 percent between 2016 and 2017. And the climb appears to be continuing in 2018.

So, the car thieves hitting Daniel Island must be master lock picks, who can hotwire a car without setting the alarm off and leave under the cover of darkness, right? Well, not exactly.

The recent spike in car thefts is exclusively due to residents leaving their cars unlocked, noted Charleston Police Lt. James Byrne, commander of Daniel Island-based Team 5.

“They [car thieves] were universally, 100 percent taking unlocked vehicles with the keys left inside,” said Byrne. “They were not breaking into cars, they were not hotwiring cars. This was not ‘Gone in 60 Seconds,’ or anything like that. This was crimes of opportunity.”

According to Byrne the sudden increase of car thefts began in the second half of 2017. Prior to that, the majority of automobile related crimes were robberies from cars and the occasional stolen golf cart.

Team 5’s investigation into the series of robberies lead them to believe that the crimes are being committed by suspects from North Charleston.

“They were largely being stolen from apartment complexes, particularly in the downtown Daniel Island area,” said Byrne. “The closer to I-526, the more likely it was to get hit, and I believe it was because people were coming in from North Charleston.”

Most of the stolen vehicles have also been recovered in North Charleston.

The prevailing theory as to why Daniel Island is targeted may be obvious to some. Retired North Charleston Police Chief and island resident John Zumalt blames the community’s atmosphere.

“Our island residents are trusting people and because of a low crime rate on the island they have a false sense of security as it relates to crime,” said Zumalt.

Byrne concurs with that statement. “What they’re doing is just simply taking advantage of residents’ trust and the feeling of safety that some people have, that sometimes allows them to slip into some unsafe practices,” said Byrne. “It becomes an issue of complacency.”

In the past, that complacency created problems that can have lasting effects. Several instances of unsecured firearms stolen from unlocked vehicles on Daniel Island have been reported in just the past year.

“If you’re going to take the responsibility to have a firearm, treat it just as that: a responsibility,” says Byrne. “Lock it up, keep it away from kids, keep it away from people who would otherwise have easy access to it, such as in the center console of a truck that’s unlocked.”

Team 5’s efforts to stop the seemingly consistent motor vehicle thefts include signs to remind residents to lock their cars, regularly changing patrol routes, bringing in additional units from other areas, and increased police engagement with the community.

But, as Byrne noted, the police can only do so much without the help of citizens.

“Keeping you safe is not a one-sided responsibility,” he said. “Keeping you safe is a partnership. It involves strong laws, it involves effective law enforcement, and it involves a populace that is committed to its own safety and is willing to take necessary, reasonable precautions to ensure that safety.”

When it comes to prevention, Byrne continued, it comes down to one simple task.

“One of the necessary, reasonable precautions is locking doors, removing valuables, removing firearms, removing keys.”