Residents weigh options as Manhattan apartment crumbles around them
15 March 2023
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Car burglaries are on the rise in Manhattan, prompting local law enforcement to send out a warning.
The Riley County Police Department took to social media Tuesday to report a spike in car burglaries in Manhattan during the month of February. In total, 40 cases of car burglary were reported to police, many of them for unlocked vehicles.
“Not surprisingly, 38 of these incidents had no signs of forced entry – meaning the cars were most likely unlocked,” RCPD said in a social media statement. “Burglars often walk along streets and parking lots checking for easy targets.”
KSNT 27 News ran the numbers for the past six months of reported car burglaries. These statistics come from the community crime map, which can be accessed by clicking here and were confirmed by RCPD spokesman Aaron Wintermote.
Month# of car burglariesSeptember7October10November7December7January21February40March13
A large concentration of the reported car burglaries since September 2022 come from the area east and southeast of Kansas State University’s campus. Other hot spots for car burglaries are northwest of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium and south of the Tointon Baseball Stadium.
Wintermote said that it is important for people to lock their doors, park in well-lit areas and keep valuables out of your car or out of sight if left in the car. He said the most common items being reported as stolen include guns, jewelry, wallets, purses, cash and other high-value items in plain sight.
Crime statistics provided by the RCPD show that 2023 could surpass 2022 for car burglaries. The five-year average for car thefts was listed as 247.8.
Year# of car burglary reports201728920182122019228202025520212552022122
To report a car burglary in your area, you can call the RCPD at 785-537-2112 or go to their website here.