CAR THEFTS ON THE RISE IN EUREKA

If it feels like there have been more cases of stolen cars in Eureka, there has.
 
"The risks aren't that great anymore,” Eureka Police Chief Murl Harpham said. “There's no deterrent not to steal a car."
 
Chief Harpham said reports of stolen cars have steadily increased in the last 5 years.
 
"There was 190 car thefts in 2012, which is just about 16 a month."
 
That’s the equivalent of a stolen car every other day.
 
"It’s something that our officers have been increasingly dealing with," Sergeant Steve Watson said.
 
Sergeant Watson said that while cases of stolen cars are high, most of those vehicles are recovered.
 
"To have our officers regularly come across these stolen vehicles and recover them—it's not unusual at all," Sergeant Watson said.
 
Chief Harpham adds that it tends to be the same people.
 
"Most of the car thefts that we've recovered—where they were in them, are parole violators," Chief Harpham said.
 
And those parole violators can make recovering a stolen car risky.
 
"Stolen vehicles are troublesome because the people who tend to steal the cars are not afraid to evade police officers," Sergeant Watson said.
 
His suggestion is to lock up and be aware of your surroundings, because it happens when you least expect it.