South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Two police cars broken into overnight in Oakville, guns stolen

Two police cars broken into overnight in Oakville, guns stolen

Two police cars were broken into overnight in Oakville last week, and two guns were stolen from a county police car.

A marked St. Louis County Police Department car was broken into during the overnight hours the morning of Jan. 12, police said. The break-in happened in the Southcrest Subdivision in Oakville sometime from midnight to 7 a.m.

Two department-issued guns were stolen from the car, which was locked and parked in the house’s driveway, police said.

Less than a mile away in the Southview Subdivision in Oakville the same night, a marked police car belonging to a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer was also broken into, but nothing was stolen. The rear passenger window was shattered. That car was also locked and parked in the driveway of the house.

The investigation into both incidents is ongoing.

The county officer whose guns were stolen had done everything according to department protocol, with the car locked and the guns secured.

The St. Louis County Police Department is going to analyze what happened and see if a change in policy is needed due to the incident.

“Although it is a relatively rare event, law enforcement vehicles are not immune from being targeted by criminals,” the department said in a statement. “It is both policy and practice that gear left inside of police vehicles is always locked and secured, as was the case here. It is important to recognize that even using the best anti-theft technology and precautions available does not guarantee a 100-percent success rate.”

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