In a joint email blast Tuesday, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles and the police department wrote that there is “an increase in car thefts targeting delivery drivers in DC,” and advised people to take precautions to prevent their vehicles from being stolen. Motor vehicle thefts in D.C. are up 33% from last year.

The increase in car thefts is not reflective of broader property crime trends in the District. As a whole, property crimes are down 20% overall compared to last year. Thefts are down by 27%, and burglaries are down by 8%. Theft from auto — which MPD defines as the theft of valuables from the inside of an automobile — is down 21% from last year. The only other category of property crime that has seen an increase in the District this year is arson: There were seven reported instances of arson this time last year, while there are 11 so far this year.

An MPD spokesperson declined to share what portion of the uptick in motor vehicle theft overall is specifically targeting delivery drivers and said this information could only be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Recently, other jurisdictions have also reported that people are stealing cars from delivery drivers. Montgomery County police tweeted on Tuesday that since February, they have investigated 13 incidents in downtown Silver Spring where drivers making food deliveries had their cars stolen. Police linked the crimes to the increased popularity of food delivery services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police in D.C. have also made a similar connection: The Washington Post reported in May that one D.C. police captain wrote on a message board that an uptick in vehicle thefts was “primarily related” to an increase in delivery drivers picking up and dropping off groceries, food, and other items.

Sixth District Commander Durriyyah Habeebullah said at an Anacostia Coordinating Council meeting last Tuesday she had noticed a significant uptick in car thefts — and that in many cases, it happened when delivery drivers and other individuals left their cars unattended.

“What we are finding in all districts around the city is that people are leaving their keys in their car, they’re leaving their cars running,” said Habeebullah. “And so what we’re also finding is that people are stealing those cars and are using those cars in our homicides, they’re using those cars in our robberies, they’re using those cars in other crimes around the city.”

Habeebullah said the department is exploring whether the uptick in vehicle thefts was linked to insurance fraud.

“We’re trying to see if … perhaps because of COVID and the pressure people have about paying bills, perhaps it’s something that people are doing by getting their cars stolen — insurance fraud,” she said. “It may not be, but we’re finding that … if I have seven cars stolen, of the seven, five of them will be someone where they left their car running with the keys in the car. And now we’re finding that people are leaving their spare keys in the car. So it makes us think that perhaps it might be something a little bit related to some type of fraudulent behavior.”

In an email, an MPD spokesperson said the department has not reached any conclusions about the involvement of insurance fraud in motor vehicle theft.

“Auto theft is a crime of opportunity, and there are multiple reasons as to why an individual commits this crime,” the spokesperson wrote. “Most often, individuals steal vehicles if there are keys left inside and/or the vehicle is left idling and unattended.”

Almost half — 48% — of the vehicles stolen over the last 30 days had keys inside of them, according to the police department. The department did not have readily available data to confirm whether it was unusual for that many cars to have keys in them when they are stolen.

Over the last month, the biggest uptick in vehicle thefts has been in the Second District, which saw 22 more thefts than the same 30-day period last year. The other two highest increases came in the Third District, which saw a 13-incident increase over last year, and the Seventh District, which saw a 12-incident increase. The greatest share of car thefts happened in the Sixth District, which has accounted for 22% of the total last month, and the Fifth District, which accounted for 16% of the total.

In its joint email with the Department of Motor Vehicles, the police department advised drivers to make sure to think about where they park, lock their cars, keep track of their keys, use anti-theft devices, avoid leaving their vehicle engines running, and “stay alert.”