Stolen guns from cars put further strain on Durham Police

It means the firearm is now on the streets -- often untraceable -- and in the hands of criminals.

Sgt. Michael Beal of the Durham Police Department's Community Service Division is among the officers searching for those guns, to protect the public.

"Sometimes those guns do go on to be used in violent crimes and shootings and other criminal activities." said Beal, "And because they're stolen, it's extremely hard for us to follow through and to track those,"

If fewer guns were stolen, Beal said, "We could reduce our call volume, our officers having to respond out to those incidents initially. We could reduce the follow-up crimes that are associated with those. our investigators would have more time to focus on other things,"

Gun theft can be reduced. Most guns stolen, according to police, had been left in places where the potential of theft was a high possibility.

In data obtained from the Durham Police Department, from Jan. 1 through Nov. 26 of 2022. There were 331 cases of one gun or multiple guns being stolen.

In 56 percent of those cases, guns were stolen from cars. In 62 percent of those instances, the car was unlocked, meaning these are highly preventable crimes.

Beal also is encouraging people to store their guns inside their homes, in a safe, or with a lock. Beyond that, he says it's important to record your gun's serial number.

"If their gun were to be stolen for any reason, we would have that serial number available immediately to enter into the national database that can help us track and recover that gun a little bit easier" said Beal.

He also noted that those who decided to surrender a gun because it is no longer needed or wanted in the home can turn it in to any local police department.