BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington city councilors will vote Monday night on an ordinance to crack down on car break-ins, a yearslong issue that some hope will be better enforced if the change is approved.
This ordinance is another effort to ease the backlog in the courts. Last year, the state added motor vehicles to its trespassing laws, and now the city is following suit.
Videos of people caught on camera checking for unlocked car doors have become increasingly common in Burlington.
Hank Collins lives in the Old North End and said he sees this all the time.
“Definitely people late at night pulling on car doors and stuff, you know, bikers will take their bikes and just bike down the whole block and check, but that’s what I’ve seen late at night,” Collins said.
It’s not as much a break-in as a pull and hope for the best.
“Definitely have tried my car, but I mean, I lock my stuff up. I’d tell anyone to lock their cars in Burlington,” Collins said.
The city is looking to tighten rules around rummaging through cars.
“At the local level, at least, it’s not unlawful to open someone’s car and rummage through it as long as you don’t steal anything or do any damage,” said Ben Traverse, D-Burlington City Council president.
That would change if the ordinance Traverse is proposing passes. It’s an addition to an existing trespassing ordinance, which currently doesn’t include cars.
“Perhaps it hasn’t caused that much financial damage, but it has caused a lot of emotional damage to that person who has had this personally invasive infraction happen to them, and by updating our ordinance, it gives us more tools to address that,” Traverse said.
The goal of adding the ordinance is to make it a civil violation and eligible for the city’s restorative justice program, known as City Circle, a community initiative meant to address low-level crimes.
“I think it’s the perfect opportunity to address this issue that’s going on, and that’s the reason for standing it up here at the local level,” Traverse said.
Collins said he’s happy the city is working toward solutions.
“I think it comes with all the joys and challenges that cities go through as they grow,” Collins said.
The ordinance is expected to pass at Monday night’s City Council meeting.
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