Police see ongoing trend in burglaries, stolen vehicles

WAUNAKEE, Wis. — The arrest of four teens Monday morning in Waunakee prompted police to urge residents to remember to lock their doors and take all safety precautions to ensure they are not the next victim of a burglary or car theft.

Police say they’ve seen a huge spike in these types of crimes this year.

“In Waunakee, I think in the last year, we’ve had 65 burglaries… in a normal year, we typically have between 15 and 18. So we’ve seen a major jump in burglaries, major jump in auto thefts, and a major jump in stolen vehicles,” said Lt. Adam Kreitzman with the Waunakee Police Deparment.

Kreitzman said many of these instances, particularly more recent cases, have involved teens, but he said he can’t say exactly why this is happening among young adults.

“That’s a really good question which we really haven’t gotten a lot of answers from. It seems like it’s, I don’t know if it’s a mode of transportation or they’ve been getting away with it,” Kreitzman said.

He added this is a matter of public safety, including the safety of these teens. Police want to remind everyone to make sure their homes and cars are locked at all times and to say something if they see something.

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