Fort Collins Police are currently investigating a series of vehicle thefts in the city. According to Fort Collins Police Services, many of the stolen vehicles had been left unlocked with the keys inside.

Nearly 54 locally stolen vehicles have been recovered since January, and additional vehicles continue to be stolen each week. Fort Collins Police Services also reports many items of value stolen from unlocked cars, including money, electronics and nearly 30 firearms.

Several juveniles have been identified as suspects and charges have been filed where applicable. Other cases remain under investigation.

A portion of the missing firearms are believed to have been stolen by juveniles who were targeting unlocked vehicles, according to a press release from the Fort Collins Police Services. Other firearms have been stolen by adults and tracked to other jurisdiction.

According to a Fort Collins Police Services press release, citizens are urged to take the following precautions to prevent theft:

• Never leave firearms or other valuables inside vehicles, regardless of whether they are locked or not.
• Firearms should secured or locked in homes.
• Always lock vehicles and leave nothing in view within the passenger compartment.
• Do not leave garage door openers or house keys in vehicles that are not parked inside a secured garage.
• Record the serial numbers on valuable items including all firearms and electronics, and keep the list in a safe place away from the home, business or vehicle.
• Photograph all valuables, especially those without serial numbers. Keep copies of the photos in a different location.
• Report all suspicious activity immediately to the police. Use 911 appropriately to report any in-progress crimes or activities. Call 970-221-6540 to report suspicious activity that is not occurring at the time of the call.

Police are seeking any information from the public about these crimes or sightings of suspicious persons in their neighborhoods. Anyone with information about these crimes is encouraged to call Detective Kyle Bendzsa with Fort Collins Police at 970-221-6577 or Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868.

Collegian Senior Reporter Rachel Musselmann can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @rmusselmann.