Your car got broken into. Here’s what to do next if you experience theft in Washington

Coming exterior to see your car or truck window damaged and your valuables missing is one of the worst strategies to start your working day, but what should really you do subsequent?

Not only can split-ins expense you income, details or valuables in your vehicle, it can also be high priced to deal with your car or truck window, locks or other destroyed pieces.

Some automobiles are far more easily broken into and stolen than others, like these 10 most usually stolen autos in Washington.

In Washington state, crimes these as car robberies have experienced substantial boosts in modern yrs, as a theft took location each and every 1.5 hours and motor vehicle thefts happened each individual 14.9 minutes in 2021, in accordance to The Washington Affiliation of Sheriffs and Law enforcement Chiefs Once-a-year Crime Report.

In 2021, there were being 5,802 robberies, 42,267 breaking and entering instances, and 166,466 theft offenses took position in Washington state, according to the report.

The top rated 10 stolen things in Washington had been car or truck areas and add-ons, revenue, cars, applications, purses, dresses, credit score and debit playing cards, domestic merchandise, identity documents and pc components and software, the report observed.

If your motor vehicle is damaged into

If your automobile is broken into and objects are stolen, ValuePenguin, a Lending Tree finance internet site offers advice on what to do:

• Document the injury by getting photos in advance of touching or moving just about anything.
• Make a checklist of stolen objects.
• File a law enforcement report. Your coverage organization will generally require a law enforcement report to be submitted in buy to course of action any assert you file. You may possibly have to do this by cell phone or in human being.
• Get hold of your insurance policy companyor take your car to an vehicle overall body store to get an estimate of what repairing your vehicle will price tag.

How to file a law enforcement report

How to file a police report varies based on the police section. In advance of you file, ValuePenguin suggests having these ready:

• Your driver’s license.
• Your vehicle’s registration information and facts.
• Insurance policy card or policy declaration web page.
• Photos of the injury.
• A checklist of any residence that was stolen.
• The approximate time and day of the crack-in, theft or vandalism.

Some law enforcement departments enable law enforcement reviews to be filed online, but people experiencing an energetic split-in can contact 911.

How to prevent car or truck break-ins

The Seattle Police Office has a several strategies to aid avert your car from being broken into: