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RALEIGH, N.C. — The cold weather is having an unexpected impact on car thefts in Wake County.
According to police, most of the stolen cars had the keys in the ignition. That is because people are warming up their cars and going back inside their homes.
"All you've got to do is walk up and get in the car. It's a crime that takes less than five seconds to commit," said Sgt. Norman Grodi of the Raleigh Police Department.
Southeast Raleigh is a hot spot for this crime. Police said more than half the cars stolen there from Nov. 10 to Dec. 7, 2003 were running.
The same type of crime is happening in Cary, where nine cars were stolen with the keys in the ignition since November.
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