MILFORD, Connecticut — An assault weapon and a bulletproof vest stolen from a state police car parked outside a trooper's home early Tuesday were two of many items taken from about a dozen cars in a residential area, police said.
The thefts happened in neighborhoods north and west of Boston Post Road, or Route 1, said Officer Michael DeVito. The thief or thieves broke into the locked trunk of what state police say was a marked patrol car and stole an AR-15 and bulletproof vest, police from both agencies said.
In many cases, car doors were left open and the burglar or burglars stole whatever was loose inside, DeVito said. Police suspect the gun theft and the theft of more mundane items are connected. He didn't know what was stolen from the private vehicles.
Detectives from the state police Major Crime Squad are assisting with the investigation, DeVito said; the burglarized patrol car has been towed to state police property to be scoured for evidence.
In the meantime, Milford investigators are searching all of the other burglarized cars, he said.
"We're going through them all with the hopes of finding evidence," DeVito said. "We're thinking that the little vehicle down the street with some loose change missing" is just as important as the patrol car, because it might have been burglarized by the same person, he said.
The Milford police are in charge of the investigation, said Trooper Kelly Grant, state police spokeswoman. She referred all questions to Milford police.
Milford police said that burglaries had occurred in about a dozen cars, including the state police car.
Anyone who knows the location of the gun or vest is asked to contact the state police by texting tip 711 to 236748 or by calling 911.
Copyright 2016 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.)
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