INDIANAPOLIS — One IMPD district is seeing an uptick in stolen guns.
"People will walk by, look into a vehicle and if they see it, they'll go get it," said IMPD North District Cmdr. Michael Wolley.
Wolley said more guns are being stolen from vehicles - 329, to be exact, so far this year.
"We don't know where those guns are going and that's the problem," said Wolley.
Wolley said those stolen guns could potentially be used in violent crimes or sold.
"My proactive units, for example, so far have taken roughly 306 crime guns off the street and to know that you've lost roughly 329 firearms from inside a vehicle is certainly alarming," said Wolley.
He wants to educate the community on the risks of leaving a gun in a vehicle.
IMPD says if you have to travel with your gun, don't leave it in obvious places like the glove box, under the seat or the center console.
"If you can't put it in the trunk, do your best to hide it," said Wolley.
Once a gun owner reports it stolen, police can then track it.
"When you are reporting a stolen gun, there's some information that we need. It's always good when you purchase a gun to take note of the serial numbers, make, model, caliber and have that with you just in case that gun is taken from you. We are able to put that in the system so that we can track if it's used in other crimes or possibly located," said Wolley.
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Wolley said gun owners should be especially careful during the holiday season -- a time when thieves are on the prowl.
"That's why its even more important before you get out of your car take a look inside of your vehicle and see what you can see. If you can see something that would be appealing to you, it would be appealing to someone else," he said.
Police said it is not clear if the "permitless carry" law impacts the number of stolen guns recovered.