In Columbia, Anna Peterson has felt the effects firsthand.
Her vehicle was broken into just a few weeks ago, leaving her window smashed and forcing her to go a week without her car.
“They went through everything – the glove box – the middle console, everything was just everywhere,” Peterson said.
She said the thief took $20 from her work bag and discarded the bag on the sidewalk.
Peterson is far from being the only victim of this crime.
Emily Hicks, a mother of two, said her car was broken into earlier this year.
“They went through the center console – only stole my wallet,” Hicks said. “I never saw it again.”
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said the number of car break-in reports spiked to over 1,300 in 2023 but has gradually decreased over the years.
However, the numbers are still not where police officials want them to be.
Sgt. Elise Morse says that because these crimes are still so frequent, their deputies are now equipped with a new tool to help catch these criminals faster.
“We gave deputies latent kits, DNA kits, to be able to process these car break-ins on their own without calling out the crime scene,” Morse said.
Richland County officers say these kits could help catch criminals quicker, but without a print, it can be difficult to solve the crime.
This leaves some victims frustrated, such as Peterson and Hicks, who have not found out who broke into their vehicles.
