Investigators with the Seymour Police Department believe a string of thefts in the city could be connected.

Over the past two weeks, officers have responded to more than 20 reports of items being stolen from unlocked vehicles, police said Monday.

“We believe they are related. If it’s not the same person, it’s a group of individuals that have conspired to do this,” Officer Jeremy Helmsing said. “It’s hard to determine the extent of that, but several of the images we have show the same operation.”

Helmsing, the department’s public information officer, said the thefts are typically occurring between midnight and 3 a.m. They started at two separate businesses that offer auto body repair services.

“The first location that we knew of was Rodriguez Auto (on East Tipton Street) on Jan. 21,” Helmsing said. “Basically, all of the cars in that lot that were unsecured were entered. The owner couldn’t tell us what was stolen because they weren’t his cars. Some vehicles were disabled, and some were unlocked. There were probably seven or eight there.”

He said a similar incident happened a day later at Bob Poynter Collision Center on South Jackson Park Drive.

“Part of their fence was actually cut, and entry was gained that way,” Helmsing said. “Once they were inside the fence, they were just looking for unlocked doors. Any unlocked door, it was the same thing where everything was taken out of the console and thrown onto the seats.”

After the businesses were hit, the calls regarding car thefts branched out to neighborhoods across the city. Thus far, the most targeted streets have been in Sunset Parkway, the boulevards area and Sixth and Seventh streets on the north side of the city, police said.

Helmsing said footage police have obtained shows a similar system by the suspects, who appear to only travel on foot and only steal from unlocked cars. Some of the videos show two people committing the crime, while others show one person.

He said the suspects look inside cars with flashlights while attempting to open each door to see if it’s unlocked. Once entry is made, they take all items out of the console and glove box and empty them out onto the seat to rummage through.

Helmsing said seemingly easy objects to steal, such as tools, garage door openers and handicap parking permits, are not being taken.

He said wallets, cash, change and electronics are the most common items stolen.

“A lot of times, we will get them on camera, but they are bundled up and you can’t really tell who it is,” Helmsing said. “They don’t do a security check to see if there are cameras in the area. They don’t seem to care.”

Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson said everyone is a potential target, including himself.

His vehicle was broken into last week, but the culprits ended up empty-handed, he said.

“As a community, we have to be vigilant and watch out for our neighbors,” he said. “If you see something, report it.”

Angela Curry, who lives in LaBelle Apartments on the city’s southwest side, said both her and her fiance’s vehicles were broken into last weekend.

The doors were unlocked, but nothing was taken, she said.

“They just trashed the vehicles looking for stuff,” she said. “They got in the glove box and took everything out, same with our truck. We had CDs and cassettes, but they didn’t steal anything that we noticed.”

But it still leaves her on edge.

“This was literally out our front door where we park,” she said.

Police said the easiest way to help prevent items being stolen from your car is to keep it locked.

“We have a lot of people that say they don’t lock their car doors because they would rather have people in their car than break into it. You want to lock your doors,” Helmsing said. “The second thing that can help prevent that is to remove any valuables. These people are looking for quick entry. Make it look like a plain, empty car. It will go a long way from targeting those vehicles.”

Helmsing also recommended parking in well-lit areas if you do not have a garage.

He said trail cameras also can be a good alternative to security cameras.

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The Seymour Police Department is investigating a series of thefts that involve items stolen from unlocked cars.

The thefts have been occurring early in the morning throughout the city and typically involve one to two people traveling on foot.

If you have any information on the thefts or see suspicious behavior, call SPD at 812-522-1234.

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