Since the Aug. 20 inception of the Chapel Hill Police Department's automobile break-in prevention program, HABIT, breaking and enterings have almost doubled compared to the same time period last year.
Break-ins in Chapel Hill park-and-ride lots, a main target for the educational campaign, have increased by nearly six times compared to the same period last year, according to statistics from police spokeswoman Jane Cousins.
From Aug. 20 to Oct. 7, there were 17 break-ins in park-and-ride lots, compared to three during the same time period last year.
Total break-ins from Aug. 20 to Oct. 7 this year have reached 119, compared to 66 last year.
Officer Danny Lloyd of the Community Services Unit said it's still too early to tell whether HABIT, or Halt Auto Break-ins Today, has had any effect on break-in numbers.
Lloyd said there haven't been enough arrests in recent cases to determine the factors behind the recent boost in the crime.
He said that although the initial phase of the program is complete - which included public service announcements, educational press releases and the distribution of fliers to area commuters - there is still a large volume of people who make themselves potential targets to automobile breaking and enterings.
He said drivers leave valuable items visible within their vehicles and knowingly leave them unlocked.
"We're really trying to examine our efforts in getting the message out," Lloyd said.
