COLUMBUS, Ohio -- From broken car windows to garage break-ins, area residents are seeing an increase in property crimes.
Columbus police estimate that there has been as much as a 30 percent increase in property crimes over recent years -- especially when it comes to thefts from cars.
Three different areas of town shared the same crime Tuesday night: car break-ins on Mohawk Street in German Village, Ogden on the west side and Sixth Avenue in Grandview.
NBC 4 and Columbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner went to a mall parking lot Wednesday and walked through parked cars, noting comment mistakes motorists make.
"This (car) is locked up, looks like it's secure, but when you look inside, you see some keys," Weiner said.
It may not seem like a big deal if the keys aren't for the car.
"Now, all of a sudden, they have keys to your house," Weiner said.
Inside the glove compartment, the vehicle registration lists the car owner's home address. The registration combined with the keys could spell trouble.
"You need to make it as hard as possible for these people to get in the car," Weiner said.
The biggest attractions currently are GPS devices, which can bring a thief $40 or $50.
GPS accessories are also big business.
CDs are still big items since they can be sold for about $1 each and change is instant.
Police said that thieves aren't looking to strike it rich, but a little money here and there makes it worth the break-in.
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