Common Parking Lot Crimes

Discover the most common parking lot crimes, including theft, vandalism, and break-ins. Learn how they happen and practical tips to stay safe.

By virtue of their location and design, parking lots can attract undesirables and promote criminal activity.

Parking lots are still one most common place where crimes occur, especially at locations such as shopping malls, park-and-rides and college campuses. 

Their layouts tend to provide the opportunity for criminality, including dark stairwells, high walls, structural columns, and multiple levels. These offer as hiding places that criminals can take advantage of to commit their illegal activities.

Previous statistics paint a worrying picture around parking lot crime:

• Over 20% of auto thefts occur in parking lots and garages
• About 70% of vehicle thefts happen at night, often in poorly lit parking area
• 40% of drivers have reported losing valuable from their vehicle in a parking lot
• 35% of car break-ins occur in commercial parking lots during daytime hours
• 65% of drivers reported feeling unsafe in parking garages at night

At LotGuard, we are committed to providing parking lot and property owners with the tools they need to help prevent these crimes. 

Part of providing this is to build understanding around the common crimes faced by parking lots and how our solutions can be used to prevent this.

Below we walk through the most common crimes that plague parking lots, and likely your own:

Most Common Crimes in Parking Lots

Theft of Vehicles

Unattended vehicles serve as attractive targets for criminals and Organized Crime Gangs (OCGs) with intent to steal both the vehicle and/or personal property within it. 

880,595 vehicles were stolen in 2024, and although most of these occur from someone’s home or street, this is due to the fact that these vehicles will be parked at these locations most of the time. 

The risk of theft, per hour parked, is much greater when cars are in parking facilities.

Too many parking lots are poorly secured, poorly lit, and filled with blind spots and hiding spaces where cars cannot easily be seen or are out of sight completely. 

Unfortunately, even those parking lots with security in place have less than adequate surveillance cameras, poorly positioned attendants’ booths, and low to no visibility of the lot.

Other issues like overgrown shrubbery and dark spots that provide cover for thieves and offer full access to members of the public, including potential offenders.

As a parking lot or property owner, there are methods you can implement to improve the security of your lot such as implementing perimeter fencing, employing security guards, and installing parking lot surveillance solutions.

However, considering many vehicle and personal property are stolen because a vehicle has been left unlocked, there are some key tips you should share with lot users also to protect themselves:

• Take any valuables out the vehicle when leaving it unattended
• Lock your vehicle when leaving it unattended
• Park your vehicle in well-lit lots where there is clear visibility of it
• Consider fitting anti-theft devices to your vehicle
• Report any suspicious behaviour within the parking lot or surrounding area 

These steps may seem simple, however, you’ll be surprised how many users forget to take these precautions before leaving their vehicle. 

Learn Five Steps to Bettering Parking Lot Security

Theft From Vehicles

Theft from vehicles often stems as an opportunistic crime. Similar to vehicle theft, most incidents occur because the car has been left unlocked or because valuable items have been left in plain sight. 

The profile of parking lots often creates an environment where this type of crime is more likely. 

Retail parking lots are particularly popular for this as it is likely vehicles contain the owner's previous purchases, as well as their personal property. Also, it’ll be assumed that vehicles in this instance will be left unattended for several hours. 

The design characteristics and lack of ample security also create the opportunity for 'smash and grab' theft from vehicles. 

For large lots, defending against this can be more difficult due to the greater challenges presented through the vast space, high traffic volume, and assumed lack of security. 

And personal property isn’t the only target for vehicles in your parking lot, car components are also popular due to resale value and rising metal prices. 

We recently highlighted the most commonly stolen items from vehicles and practical steps you can take to prevent this crime. 

The Most Common Thefts from Vehicles

Violent Crimes

You may be surprised to hear that violent crime occurs in parking lots, and is a lot more common than you may think.

Previous statistics from the National Institute of Justice showed that parking facilities were one of the most likely settings for violent crimes, with 7.3% of all violent crimes taking place there.

There are several factors that contribute to this figure:

• Poor lighting and visibility
• Assumed lack of surveillance or security presence
• Isolated or low-traffic areas
• Easy access with little control
• Various vehicles entering and exiting the parking lot, distracting from any crimes
• Nearby alcohol/drug activity can lead to heightened issues
• Environmental design that creates hiding spots for crimes

It's not just the volume of violent crimes that demand attention, though; the severe nature of these crimes makes mitigating them one of the most critical aspects of owning or managing a parking lot. 

Serious violent crimes that can occur in parking lots include:

• Carjacking
• Murder
• Kidnapping 
• Assault
• Armed robbery

For retail parking lot owners and others facing this issue, the threat of these crimes spells disaster for business. If potential customers or users spot people loitering around your properties, they may look for somewhere else to shop or park at.

It's imperative to protect your employees, parking lot users, and the local community in these vulnerable environments.

You can download our FREE Complete Guide to Parking Lot Security which provides several ways you can enhance the overall security profile of your parking lot to avoid issues like violent crime.

Hit-and-Runs

When most people hear the word 'hit-and-run', a parking lot isn't necessarily the first thing that springs to mind. More likely, you'll picture a careless or reckless driver fleeing the scene of an accident.

About 25% of all parking lot accidents involve a hit‑and‑run. In most scenarios this will be because drivers will hit another vehicle as they pull in or out of a parking space and then immediately leave without providing their contact or insurance details.

This leaves victims with an expensive repair bill, major inconvenience, and a sense that the parking lot is an unsafe environment. 

As a parking lot owner, you will not (in most cases) be liable for damage caused to vehicles, but if they happen too frequently, it will be a big blow to your reputation. 

In addition, there are certain instances where you could be liable for the damage.

For example, if you fail to adequately protect a parking garage against potential criminal conduct or fail to warn of potential hazards such as ice accumulation, poor maintenance, bad design, or inadequate visibility, this could be considered negligence.

Implementing enhanced surveillance tactics like a LotGuard PRO Surveillance Trailer not only protects against theft at your properties; they also document any accidents that occur. 

This can be critical in assisting your guests, customers, and parking lot users in investigating a hit-and-run and/or confirming that you are not liable for any damage. As such helping you maintain a good reputation amongst the local area.

Vandalism 

Acts of vandalism at parking lots are mindless, often wholly random, crimes that serve no purpose to the perpetrator but create immense cost and inconvenience.

That's not to mention the irreparable damage it can do to the reputation of your parking lot or business premises.

Past stories have shown the severe impact caused by vandalism. For example, a San Antonio car was previously hit by vandals who scratched ten cars, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. 

Other businesses like a Mercedes Benz dealership in Oakland, CA, and a Planet Ford dealership in Austin, TX, were also seriously affected by similar crimes

The most common types of parking lot vandalism include:

• Being keyed (scratched with car keys or another sharp object)
• Smashed wing mirrors, windows, or lights
• Slashed tires
• Damaged rims
• Snapped windscreen wipers
• Graffiti

Auto dealerships are particularly vulnerable to this, and although car dealerships face many dangers, due to the number of vehicles kept there, they are popular targets for mass vandalism.

Learn How to Prevent Vandalism at Auto Dealerships

LotGuard: The USA's Leading Parking Lot Surveillance Cameras

LotGuard surveillance units are specifically designed to detect, deter, mitigate, and report criminal activity and provide 24/7 security in parking lot environments.

They feature built-in video analytics capable of detecting small suspicious behavior such as loitering and other criminal behavior. 

When supported by our live video transmission and alarm monitoring, it enables remote crime prevention. This allows them to deploy audio deterrent features like live challenges and sirens from an off-site location.

In severe cases, remote operators can even contact Law Enforcement if required to come to the scene and intercept crime at that moment.

All our solutions are fitted with HD infrared cameras that capture crystal-clear images, even in low light conditions, helping gather evidence to support any criminal proceedings that may need to take place.

This helps with any liability case you may be faced with or support a parking lot user following a hit-and-run event.

The PTZ cameras allow for full site coverage, and we can provide LotGuards to your premises regardless of power availability or internet connection. This allows us to reach the most remote locations which may be more vulnerable to crime.

We can customize the camera profile of our parking lot surveillance solutions, so it meets the exact requirements of your lot and the unique challenges you’re faced with. 

This includes IR PTZ cameras, thermal cameras, license plate recognition cameras (LPR), and four-way multisensor cameras, all capable of delivering live and recorded footage through 4G LTE technology.

Reach out to our LotGuard team today to learn more.

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