SOUTH BEND — Vehicle larcenies, which increased each month from September to November, and motor vehicle thefts, which fluctuated in these months, both experienced large drops in crime in December.
Vehicle larcenies decreased from 79 in November to 56 in December and motor vehicle thefts decreased from 41 to 23.
Despite this result, after months of the police department reminding the public to lock their cars, not keep the engine running and not keep valuables in plain sight, Sgt. Jarveair Bourn did address a large amount of vehicle larcenies concentrated in the city’s downtown area. Thirteen vehicle larcenies occurred on Main and Michigan streets from LaSalle Avenue to Wayne Street.
A cluster of vehicle larcenies occurred in downtown South Bend in December 2024.
In December, the city’s east region, including this portion of downtown, had 24 vehicle larcenies and four motor vehicle thefts. The motor vehicle thefts decreased from 15 in November.
“There has been a focus in this area as far as these specific crimes,” Bourn said Jan. 8. “… We put more resources in the area, and I believe they did go down some, but again, one is too many.”
Bourn called vehicle larceny a crime of opportunity, saying if a vehicle is left unlocked or, if the opportunity presents itself, a person might break a window to rummage through and take something valuable left out in the open.
“Especially in the winter months, they know people are holiday shopping and (are) looking for easy targets to have a quick come-up,” Bourn said.
The department’s crime analysts work to determine what specific times of day these crimes are occurring so resources can best be implemented in that area, he said.
The city’s south region experienced 13 vehicle larcenies — a decrease from 28 in November — and eight motor vehicle thefts compared to 12 the previous month. Four vehicle larcenies, along with three case generated shots fired incidents — which are defined as calls that yield evidence such as bullet casings, a victim or damage — occurred west of the South Bend Police Department near the intersection of South Walnut and Dunham streets.
Three motor vehicle thefts occurred near Western Avenue and South Lombardy Drive on the city’s west side. Eleven motor vehicle thefts in total happened in December in this region — a decrease compared to 14 in November. The city’s west side also experienced 19 vehicle larcenies, a drop from 22 in November, which were scattered throughout the region. Two vehicle larcenies occurred on Elwood Avenue at the intersections of Fremont Street and another on Elliot Street. Two vehicle larcenies also occurred on Progress Drive near the South Bend International Airport.
Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend vehicle theft crimes cut by 20 in December 2024 statistics