Residents throughout Wayne County are being encouraged to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables as break-ins have increased in recent weeks.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Department issued a Code Red on Aug. 3 encouraging residents to keep their vehicles locked and remove valuables. The increase in break-ins has been spread throughout the county and difficult for law enforcement to narrow down to one specific area.

“The break-ins have been occurring throughout the county,” Capt. Kit Walston of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department said. “We’ve seen a huge increase over the last couple of weeks. If we could pin down the reason why these break-ins have increased we certainly would.”

The recent increase in break-ins has not seemed to target a particular type of vehicle or a specific type of valuable normally left in vehicles.

“You can’t say if you have this type of vehicle or that type of vehicle you’re more likely to have your car broken into,” Capt. Walston said. “It’s hard to say what they’re looking for as far as valuables.”

There also does not appear to be a pattern as far as the day of the week or time of night when the majority of the break-ins have occurred. Capt. Walston reiterated the importance of Wayne County residents keeping their vehicles locked.

“The break-ins have been so random,” Capt. Walston said. “There haven’t been any patterns to their methods. I would just remind Wayne County residents to keep their vehicles locked and remove their valuables.”

Capt. Walston declined to elaborate on what measures the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department is taking to deter future break-ins, as that information is case-sensitive to the ongoing investigation He also could not comment on any collaboration between the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and any other law enforcement agencies to prevent further break-ins.

Anyone with information on the recent break-ins in Wayne County can call the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department at (919) 731-1481.