INDIANAPOLIS -- Thousands of people were downtown Thursday to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Among them were victims and potential victims of a common crime.
"We were downtown and someone broke in at an event kind of like this. So they really didn't get anything because we don't leave anything in our car," Ed McCasland said.
It happened to Lindsey Shane.
"I came out to my car in the morning and one of my doors was open, and all of the items in my car were thrown all over the place," she said.
And to Hannah Hamblin.
"I came back and my window was pushed down cause I left it cracked and they pushed it down further. So I had to get a new window motor, which is great," she said.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, these types of crimes make up 36 percent of all larcenies reported to police, crimes that tend to be underreported.
Fishers police say it is their leading crime. There were 24 vehicle break-ins in January, 41 in February and 11 so far this month. Police say that most happen at gyms, shopping centers, apartment complexes and daycare centers.
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And in most cases, the vehicles were unlocked.
"We have a campaign in Fishers called Lock it. Hide it. Keep it. If you do those three things, then you will not be a victim of this crime. But you have to do those three things," Sgt. Tom Weger with the Fishers Police Department said.
A crime that nets huge amounts of money for criminals, and a crime that police say its victims make too easy to commit.
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