KFGO file graphic
FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – Drivers warming up their cars during the bitter cold weather may be making a big mistake and could find themselves the victim of a “warm-up theft.”
Vehicle thefts can happen any time of year, but when the cold really hits, local law enforcement agencies see a spike in cases.
“[Thieves will] wait for a crime of opportunity,” said Fargo Police Lt. Jim Kringlie.
That opportunity often comes when vehicles are left running with the keys inside, making them easy targets.
“We average about a stolen vehicle a day,” Kringlie said. “That’s what we have for the last couple of years.”
In many cases, the stolen vehicles are used in other crimes.
“A lot of times, criminals use them to escape capture because they will go commit other crimes – burglaries or things like that – and ditch the car,” Kringlie said. “It leads to more crime.”
Kringlie said law enforcement deals with fielding reports when the vehicle is stolen and then again when the vehicle is recovered, if it is recovered.
“Hopefully, we can recover the vehicle intact to give it back to the owner, but a lot of times – you may have heard the phrase, ‘drive like you stole it,’ – well, the thieves generally don’t take very good care of the cars once they steal them,” Kringlie said.
North Dakota used to have a law making it illegal to leave a car idling, unattended. The law existed since the 1940’s, but was largely ignored and lawmakers repealed it in 2019.
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