BRANFORD, Conn. — Car thefts have been on the rise in Connecticut for a couple of years. But, one recent theft in Branford shows those committing these crimes are raising the stakes.
"Every single neighborhood in our town has been affected by these car break-ins, these auto thefts," said Det. Lt. Dominick Eula, Branford Police Department.
And last week, in a different twist, two cars were stolen from the garage of a Branford home and the keys were not in the cars.
"They did go into an unlocked garage, Eula said. "They did go into a home and retrieved the keys off of the counter. They proceeded to take the vehicles out of the garage."
That scenario is familiar to one Branford resident FOX61 caught up with on the Branford Green.
"I put the keys on the end table inside the door and the next morning I went out to go somewhere and no car," Rusty Whalen said with a chuckle.
We asked if he now has pays close attention to where he leaves his keys.
"I really don’t, to be honest with you," Whalen said with a laugh.
One reason for the proliferation of thefts: police say it's state laws with no teeth.
"The state model policy has made it difficult for us to pursue for these types of crimes," Eula said.
Pursuits are only permitted if a suspect being at large is a greater risk to the community than an actual pursuit itself.
"It’s just emboldened these young individuals to come out here and steal these cars," Eula said.
He cautions those, who are gun owners that have stickers in support of the organizations like NRA or CCDL on your vehicle.
"If you are one of these individuals with those decals on your car, you might want to remove them because they will target the vehicle in hopes of finding a firearm," Eula said.
When Eula first joined Branford Police, he said they experienced perhaps four car thefts a year and now it’s not unusual to have four cars stolen in one night.