Guns stolen from unlocked cars frustrate police

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The death of a teenager this week can be traced directly to a gun stolen from an unlocked car in Sioux Falls.

Police say on Tuesday night, a group of teenagers gathered at a home in central Sioux Falls. They were horsing around with a stolen 9-millimeter when it went off, killing one of them. Now a 13 year old is charged in the death and an adult is facing related charges.

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The Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms reports more than a million guns were stolen from private citizens between 2017 and 2021. Almost half of them were taken from vehicles.

Guns stolen from cars aren’t just a problem in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. We checked with cities in surrounding states and found the same issue in Mankato, Rochester, Sioux City, and Des Moines.

I talked with Sgt Paul Paraizek of the Des Moines Police Department on the phone. He says it’s frustrating and voiced that sentiment to the CBS affiliate in Des Moines last week.

“It just blows our minds that, you know, we won’t leave our cell phones in our cars. We don’t leave our laptops or our valuables in our cars, but we’ll stick a gun in there and expect it to be there when we come back,” said Sgt Paraizek.

Gun safes like this one made for cars could be an option for some. They can be attached with bolts or cables. Sioux Falls police spokesman Sam Clemens says most thieves hit quickly spending under a minute rummaging around an unlocked car looking for anything of value.

“So they are not spending a lot of time. They see a safe, and they are not able to get it and take it with them. They are not going to take the time to break into it,” said Clemens.” It may not be the ideal situation, but whatever the circumstances, if you are not able to take the gun from the car, keeping it locked up in a gun safe inside a locked car is a better option.”

Clemens says the best option is to take the gun with you and never leave it in a vehicle.

“You are not going to be able to use it to protect yourself, you are not going to be able to use it to protect loved ones, you are not going to use it to stop another crime if you don’t have it with you,” said Clemens.