Minneapolis mass car break-ins prove difficult to solve, to the frustration of residents

Following hundreds of recent car break-ins across the city, some Minneapolis residents question whether police are doing enough to catch the culprits and deter further damage.

Eric Estrada, 27, said his pickup truck was broken into along with at least a dozen other vehicles over the weekend outside the CW Lofts in northeast Minneapolis. It was the third vehicle break-in he’s experienced in the past two months.

After each incident, police increased patrols, but he would stop seeing extra officers after a couple weeks, Estrada said.

“I think there’s a lot more that could be done right now,” he said.

More than 200 vehicles parked on residential streets have been broken into in Minneapolis over the past week and a half. No suspects have been arrested.

Nationwide and across the state, property damage cases often go unsolved. Little more than 13% of property damage and vandalism incidents in Minnesota in recent years have been solved through either an arrest or other exceptional means, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Minneapolis Police spokesman Sgt. Garrett Parten said on Wednesday the lack of evidence that’s available in vandalism or property damage cases makes it difficult for police to identify suspects.

Christopher Uggen, a professor of sociology and law at the University of Minnesota, said police departments often have low solve rates for property damage crimes because violent crimes take precedence and are allotted more investigative resources. However, Uggen noted, priorities can shift when there is a troubling trend in property crimes.

“Break-in sprees like this cause much greater concern in the community than isolated acts of theft and vandalism, so these ‘quality of life crimes’ can quickly become a priority under certain conditions,” Uggen said.

The break-ins have taken place in parts of northeast Minneapolis, Uptown and Loring Park. Another spree occurred earlier this week in Bloomington, with more than 40 cars’ windows smashed in hotel parking lots along American Blvd. East. It has not been determined if the Bloomington break-ins are connected to the Minneapolis incidents.

Ernesto Lopez, a senior research specialist with the national Council on Criminal Justice, said it can be difficult to make an arrest in a car break-in because there isn’t an immediate connection to the victim, unlike in assaults and robberies.

“You don’t know when it may have occurred, and you don’t have an interaction with the person who victimized you,” Lopez said.

After a previous break-in, Estrada said he asked police if they would install security cameras in his building’s parking lot. Estrada said he was told not enough people filed police reports about the damage to justify the equipment.

Daniel Banaszewski, who had a gym bag full of sweaty clothes stolen from his SUV on James Avenue in Uptown overnight Sunday, said he believes the police department is doing what it can to find the suspects. But, he said it would be beneficial to increase the number of places where police security cameras are placed.

“I feel like CCTVs wouldn’t be a bad idea to have, just generally in heavily populated areas,” Banaszewski said. “I’m not necessarily getting my hopes up that they’ll find the person or people responsible, but I assume that they’re working on it.”

On Monday, Minneapolis police said in a statement that investigators are reviewing all the vandalism reports and taking additional steps such as increasing patrols in the affected areas. Police are also working with other cities to analyze larger trends.

In Bloomington, police have provided a blurry photo of a suspect and asked anyone with information to call the department at 952-563-4900.