Alarmingly, car burglaries are a key part of the rising crime rate in Junction City.

Police Chief Tim Brown says that since January burglaries are up 120 percent; “We’ve had 44 (burglaries) this year compared to 20 last year and alot of that occurs with open vehicles.”

What was especially “troubling” to Brown was that “We’ve had a lot of cases of individuals getting coins, laptops, cell phones, and purses left in cars overnight.”

Prior to this year the crime rate was down 29 percent in Junction City over the last six years.

Brown says the best way to stay safe and deter burglaries is to “Keep your doors locked on your house and keep your vehicle doors locked.”