Iowa City sees spike in vehicle break-ins in public parks

The Iowa City Police Department has responded to several vehicle burglaries in the past couple weeks. Police advise keeping doors locked and valuables out of sight.

The burglaries have mostly been happening at city parks, police said. Some of the break-ins involved smashed windows, but in some cases the car doors had been left unlocked.

This is the second spike in Iowa City car burglaries this year, police said. Several break-ins also happened the last couple weeks of January as well.

One gun was stolen out of a car during that series of burglaries, police said. None of the more recent break-ins have led to stolen guns.

No arrests have been made in connection with the vehicle burglaries.

Police said the best ways to avoid becoming a victim of a vehicle break-in are the keep your car locked whenever you’re away from it, and to make sure valuable items — purses, phones, laptops, wallets, etc. — are stored in the trunk of the car or somewhere else where they’re not visible to passersby.

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