Summer Auto Theft Still a Big Problem in Yakima

Lock your car doors. Do everything you can to stop thieves from stealing your car. That's an ongoing message from Yakima police. Stolen vehicles are a big problem in the city of Yakima with hundreds of vehicles stolen every year in a variety of ways and a variety of neighborhoods. Police say on average Yakima sees upwards of 500 to 600 cars stolen every year. Last year
a study released by Insurify (a leading national car insurance shopping comparison firm) Yakima was in the Top Ten as far as cities where you're most likely to have your car stolen. On the top ten list Yakima was number 9.
The worst? According to the study, Bakersfield, California. 8 of the top 20 were cities were in CA.  No other Northwest city landed on the top 20 list.
Many cities in Washington State cities saw big increases in car thefts during the COVID-19 pandemic but oddly enough that wasn't the case in Yakima.
For example car theft shot up 63% in New York and nearly 17% in Los Angeles over the last year, compared with the same period in 2019. But in Yakima the most recent numbers available show while auto theft is still a problem it's not out of control and it didn't go out of control over the last year.
Still police say that shouldn't comfort vehicle owners. They say thieves are always looking for an opportunity to if you lock your vehicle and park it in a well lit area you'll likely not be a victim of auto theft.