Spokane sees significant drop in car thefts and break-ins over past decade

SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane used to be known as a hotspot for car thefts and break-ins, but FBI data shows these crimes have gone down over the last decade.

Over 1,700 car thefts were reported in 2015, compared to 837 last year. The number of break-ins has been cut in half between 2022 and 2025.

Juan Rodriguez, the detective at the Spokane Police Department who focuses on car thefts, says the department has cracked down on repeat offenders. He says people have also become more careful not to leave valuables in their cars, which discourages break-ins.

Rodriguez says he’s glad things have gotten better, but he says there’s still work to be done.

“We have to keep at it. We have to keep the community helping us out. The police officers doing proactive work, the investigations — good, thorough investigations — all make a huge difference,” Rodriguez said.

So far this year, people in Spokane have reported 174 stolen cars and 522 break-ins. The highest number of each of those crimes have been reported downtown.