(The Center Square) – Over the last 90 days, vehicle thefts and vehicle burglaries have spiked in Louisiana’s third-largest city, according to the Shreveport Police Department.
The department has had a rise in both vehicle thefts and burglaries, specifically in Districts 4 and 5 – the Highland area and the Shreveport-Barksdale area.
A post on Facebook confirmed the rise with a list of things residents can do to prevent falling victim to these crimes. According to the department, most cases involved unlocked vehicles, stolen cars with keys left inside, Kias and Hyundais without updated anti-theft software and offenders are reportedly suspected to be juveniles.
Recent crime reports provided to The Center Square by Cpl. Chris Bordelon showed that while overall violent crime in the city is decreasing, there are areas of concern for rising incidents.
Vehicle thefts totaled 687 as of July. In 2024, 704 were reported for the same period, putting the reports close in comparison. Armed robberies also sat close to the 2024 reported numbers with 35 this year and 44 last year, year-to-date. While there was a bigger gap between burglary numbers – 743 this year compared to 926 last year – vehicle burglaries had less of a gap. There are 588 reported instances this year compared to 641 last year.
Domestic incidents are also a rising concern for the department, along with sex crimes. Both of these reported higher than 2024 statistics.
The report outlined vehicle theft as a big concern, with reported crime jumping from 574 in June to 690 by July.
“We’ve made arrests, but prevention is key,” said the department post. “Together, we can make your neighborhood a harder target. Let’s stop crime before it starts.”
