LOUISVILLE, Ky. — How you park your car may very well help curb ongoing crime, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD).
In a recent public service announcement, LMPD released new crime figures, shining a light on a growing problem for law enforcement: the number of stolen guns is on the rise across Jefferson County.
According to a department spokesperson, 162 guns have been reported stolen in 2023 so far — many of those guns are stolen from unlocked vehicles.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) office in Louisville said these figures mirror statewide trends in Kentucky.
According to the Louisville ATF, over the last five years, 14,000 guns have been reported stolen across the Commonwealth.
"[The Louisville ATF] has seen a trend that's ticked upward year after year," Louisville ATF Special Agent AJ Gibes said. "That is a trend LMPD is working on, and we're partners with them to get that message out."
This is the message: gun owners can take simple measures to prevent, in some cases, immeasurable loss.
Gibes said it isn't uncommon for law enforcement to see those stolen guns turn up at crime scenes: homicides, non-fatal shootings, aggravated assaults and other types of violations.
"It's expected these firearms will be used in other crimes," Gibes said. "You have individuals [who] are willing to take the risk and go out and commit a felony by stealing a firearm."
LMPD said the rate of gun thefts isn't contained to any area in particular, rather, the crimes occur across Jefferson County.
"It's probably anywhere there's an opportunity," Gibes said. "So the places where vehicles are left unattended and unlocked is where you're gonna expect to see an increase in thefts."
There is a silver lining to these trends: it's easily preventable in most cases.
The first and most important step, Gibes said, is to store your gun out of sight, lock your car door and make sure all your car windows are sealed shut before exiting.
"If a door is unlocked, that's the easiest way to access [a car]," Gibes said. "In those particular cases, this is an opportunity to prevent that person from taking an easy step to get access to that firearm."
An extra step gun owners can take is buying a car-compatible lock box to store the gun(s) in. Gibes said lock boxes cost around $50.
In the unfortunate case you become a victim of gun theft, Gibes said it's crucial to report it to law enforcement even though it isn't required by Kentucky law.
"We would encourage anybody who's the victim of a firearm theft to make sure that they get that information quickly to law enforcement," he said.
Another preventative measure gun owners can take is filling out an ATF Personal Firearm Record.
Gibes said it serves as both a personal record for the owner and another crucial tool for authorities.
As stated on the cover page of the firearm record:
By completing this record and maintaining it in a safe location, separate from your firearms, you will be not only protecting your own property, you will be taking an important first step in the effort to prevent thefts and to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.
"It helps tremendously because without a serial number, it's going to make it very difficult to be able to link both the crime to a subject who committed it but then also get that firearm back to the firearm owner themselves," Gibes said.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.