Grosse Pointe Park seeing spike in larcenies, vehicle thefts

GROSSE POINTE PARK — While law enforcement officials acknowledge that the Grosse Pointes are relatively safe communities, sometimes that feeling of security causes residents to drop their guards and make themselves easy prey for crooks.

That appears to be true for a recent string of larcenies from vehicles that have hit Grosse Pointe City and Grosse Pointe Park especially hard in recent weeks.

Of the five Pointes, “We’re getting hit the hardest,” Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Director Bryan Jarrell said.

As of the end of October, “We’ve already surpassed our totals for last year” in several crime categories, Jarrell said.

That includes 28 stolen vehicles, compared to 18 in 2021, and it includes 110 larcenies, compared to 79 for all of last year.

Jarrell said that as of the end of October, there had also been another 21 reports of tampering with an auto, which could be attempted vehicle thefts or attempted larcenies from vehicles.

Deputy Director James Bostock advised residents to always lock their vehicles, saying that many criminals are specifically looking for unlocked vehicles to rummage through in search of valuables they can grab quickly and quietly.

“They want something that’s easy, that they don’t really have to work for,” Bostock said.

Vehicle thefts are being made easier because, Jarrell said, people in a number of cases have left the key fob inside an unlocked vehicle.

“It boils down to a crime of opportunity,” Jarrell said.

Garages are also being targeted by criminals. Jarrell said the Park had seen 21 cases of breaking and entering into garages as of the end of last month, compared to only nine in all of 2021. He said six of those incidents involved commercial garages, for which public safety officers had cleared five cases. Of the remainder, Jarrell said 10 involved garages that were left open or unlocked.

“The important thing is for people to close and lock garage doors,” Jarrell said.

Residents can also help police by maintaining their security or doorbell cameras. Jarrell asked residents to make sure they charge their Ring doorbell cameras when needed, for example, as footage from these devices can not only help to identify suspects, but can also be used when charging suspects. Jarrell said, in some instances recently, police have identified nearby homes with Ring doorbell cameras that might have captured useful footage, but the cameras weren’t charged or operational when the crime or crimes were being committed.

If residents see suspicious activity in their neighborhoods, they are asked to contact police immediately so that they can investigate to determine if a crime is occurring.