AN ARMY OF THIEVES
CONSTANTLY COMBING THE
STREETS OF ALBUQUERQUE
CHECKING FOR UNLOCKED
CAR DOORS AND CRACKED
WINDOWS.
IF YOU THINK CAR THEFT
IS PROBLEM IN
ALBUQUERQUE -- CAR
BREAK-INS ARE EVEN
WORSE.
ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT --
NEWS 13'S GABRIELLE
BURKHART SHOWS YOU HOW
THIS EPIDEMIC IS
TRIGGERING A DOMINO
EFFECT OF CRIME.
"...NATS ..." WHETHER
IT'S CRUISING AROUND...
OR JUST GETTING FROM ONE
PLACE TO ANOTHER ... THE
CAR CULTURE IS CENTRAL
TO ALBUQUERQUE.
"...
I love my car, it's
great..." BUT THIEVES
LOVES THEM TOO --
BECAUSE THERE'S USUALLY
SOMETHING IN THEM THEY
CAN SELL FOR A QUICK
BUCK.
"...
It is a problem. The
thing is we don't want
anybody to be a
victim..." NO MATTER
WHERE YOU LIVE IN
ALBUQUERQUE -- BREAK-INS
ARE A PROBLEM.
"...
it's very very sad
because this is
happening on an almost
daily basis in our
neighborhood..." WE
FOUND NEARLY 800-
VEHICLE BREAK-INS OVER
THE
PAST FOUR WEEKS ON THE
CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE'S
CRIME MAP. THE EASTSIDE
-- WHICH HAS A LOT MORE
HOMES AND BUSINESSES --
HAD A LOT MORE BREAK-INS
THAN THE WEST SIDE. THE
HOTSPOTS INCLUDE THE UNM
AREA ... MIDTOWN AND
UPTOWN. BUT THE
BREAK-INS ARE JUST THE
START..
"...
so just an auto burglary
alone sets off a whole
wave of different
crimes... " CRIMES THAT
STEM FROM WHAT THE
THIEVES ARE GETTING
THEIR HANDS ON ...
"...NAT pop..." "...NATS
sequence... "
"...
a couple of seconds and
they have all your
information - your
purse, your phone, and
you can imagine all the
problems that comes with
it..." PROBLEMS LIKE
IDENTITY THEFT AND
FRAUD. ADDRESSES ...
KEYS AND GARAGE DOOR
OPENERS LEFT IN CAR LEAD
TO
HOME BURGLARIES. BUT
THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE
CROOKS ARE LOOKING FOR.
"...
a lot of times they're
targeting these high
value trucks because
they know that guys have
guns in them..." SINCE
NEW MEXICO IS AN OPEN
CARRY STATE ... PEOPLE
CAN KEEP GUNS IN THEIR
VEHICLES. BUT ALL TOO
OFTEN -- THEY'RE ENDING
UP IN THE WRONG HANDS.
"...
we have seen them used
in other crimes or sold
we can't put that into
NCIC, the national crime
information center... "
THAT MEANS IF SOMEONE
USES THAT STOLEN GUN IN
ANOTHER
CRIME ... POLICE CAN'T
TRACE IT -- OR CHARGE
THE CRIMINAL WITH
POSESSION OF A STOLEN
FIREARM -- A FELONY.
UNTRACEABLE GUNS
FLOATING AROUND THE
STREETS OF ALBUQUERQUE.
"...
this is why we have
tactics when we pull
an extension of home -
you have every right to.
But secure that weapon
when you leave that
car..."
"...
police say people in the
community can make a
anything personal. That
means not leaving
personal documents or
items in your car..."
WALKING ALONG ANY
DOWNTOWN STREET ...
OFFICER DROBIK
SAYS IT'S EASY TO SEE
WHAT THIEVES MIGHT
TARGET.
"...this guy's got stuff
just laying in his back
seat here
unfortunately..." WE
FOUND SHOPPING BAGS ...
AND PURSES LEFT OUT IN
THE OPEN. BACKSEATS FULL
OF TEMPTING BOXES. AND
WHAT LOOKS LIKE
BRAND NEW ELECTRONICS.
BUT THIS DOWNTOWN
RESIDENT WHO DOESN'T
WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED
... SAYS SHE LEFT
NOTHING IN SIGHT -- AND
STILL BECAME A VICTIM.
"...
everything was in the
trunk, the only thing
that I did have was a
cup of coffee..." IT
HAPPENED IN BROAD
DAYLIGHT. "...no less
than five minutes..."
SHE SAYS THIEVES BROKE
THE LOCK ON HER DOOR ...
POPPED HER
TRUNK -- AND MADE OFF
WITH HER LAPTOP. "...
it cost me a little bit
under 25-hundred dollars
to to repair all the
damage that they had
done to the vehicle..."
SHE NOW HAS SURVEILLANCE
CAMERAS OUTSIDE HER
HOME. BUT A-P-D SAYS
THIEVES USUALLY WANT THE
QUICK ... QUIET ... EASY
WAY IN. SO THEY CHECK
FOR UNLOCKED DOOR
HANDLES .... WHICH IS
WHY THEY FLOCK TO
PARKING LOTS. "...if you
hit 100-cars and you get
four cars that open up,
you hit the jackpot..."
IT'S NO SECRET MANY OF
THE THIEVES COMMIT THESE
CRIMES TO FEED A DRUG
HABIT. POLICE BLAME THE
JUSTICE SYSTEM
TOO..
"...
that's the numbers that
surprise me is how many
times, 9 times, a dozen
times, and then those
property crimes turn
into violent crimes... "
CRIMES THAT CAN OFTEN BE
PREVENTED BY KEEPING AN
EMPTY CAR. "...don't
let these crooks win..."
ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT,
GABRIELLE BURKHART, KRQE
NEWS 13.
TO SEE HOW MANY CAR
BREAK-INS HAVE HAPPENED
IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
LATELY -- HEAD TO THE
STORY ON OUR KRQE NEWS
APP.
U-N-M RESEARCHERS ARE