NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – We see the videos time and time and time again. Thieves break into cars and check car door handles before trying to take off with someone else’s vehicle.

“It’s like a dot on the map. They’ll just pick a neighborhood and they’ll roll through it,” explained Lt. Brandon Tennant with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD). “They are looking to steal a car; they are looking to steal anything outside of your vehicle that they can pawn or sell to further their criminal element.”

Nashville car thefts up 123% this year compared to last

The areas these thieves are striking tend to be sporadic, spanning across Davidson County. Oftentimes, they are targeting neighborhoods and parking lots.

“You hear the glass break, [and] by the time you get out of bed, rub your eyes, and go look out the window, your car is gone,” Tennant said as he described just how quickly this type of crime can happen. “I mean, it’s a 30-second process. They break the window, they get in, they peel the column, and before you know it, your car is gone.”

Which is why the MNPD has been cracking down on vehicle thefts. Going into 2024, Tennant told News 2 how the department has been focusing on targeting this specific type of crime. Within 10 days of operation, the unit has already made 48 arrests, issued 130 felony charges, recovered 33 stolen/carjacked cars, and found over 26 firearms.

Convicted felon arrested after spotted inside carjacked vehicle, Metro police say

“We want to keep hammering home those facts that our cars, our vehicles, are not gun safes. You know, we need to keep our guns locked up inside a safe or some type of safekeeping inside of our residence and that our vehicles are never an option,” Tennant said.

The initiative comes after an influx of car thefts over the past year. Tennant explained that oftentimes, investigators discover stolen vehicles are being used to commit other crimes.

“We’re locating those cars usually at the scene of or shortly thereafter the scene of some type of violent crime, whether it be homicides, carjackings, other types of shootings, so that’s why we wanted to shift our focus and be able to locate these vehicles prior to ultimately being used to perpetrate some type of violent offense here in our community,” said Tennant.

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According to the MNPD, more than half of the auto theft reports in Davidson County each week routinely reveal that “the vehicles taken were easy targets because the keys were left inside or made available to thieves.”

Since 2000, Metro Police have been encouraging drivers to “Part Smart”:

• Lock your vehicle

• Secure your valuables

• Take keys with you

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.