To report an attempted car break-in to police, call your local non-emergency number (or 911 if the attempt is still in progress), describe the damage and location, provide any suspect or witness details you have, and ask for a case number before you hang up. Many departments also accept property crime reports online or at the station. The report costs you nothing, creates the paper trail your insurer will want, and adds a data point police use to spot patterns in your area.
Before You Pick Up the Phone
If you walk up to pry marks, a jimmied lock, or a cracked window, don’t start cleaning up or testing whether things still work. Fingerprints, tool marks, and debris are potential evidence. Open the car as little as possible until you’ve decided whether to have officers come to the scene, and don’t reach through broken glass to check the glovebox.
Take photos first. Capture the damage from several angles, and include wide shots that show where your car is sitting in relation to streetlights, landmarks, or nearby cameras. Photograph anything on the ground near the car too, like footprints or discarded tools. These details disappear quickly once you move the car or others park around it.
Do a slow walkaround before you call. Some attempts leave damage that isn’t obvious: a bent door frame, a scratched lock cylinder, pulled-away window trim, or a damaged weather seal that will let water in for weeks. Note anything that looks different from normal so you can describe it.
911 or the Non-Emergency Line
Call 911 only if the break-in is happening right now or you can see the suspect nearby. That’s a crime in progress and dispatchers will prioritize it.
If you’re finding damage after the fact and no one suspicious is around, use the local police department’s non-emergency number. In many cities you can also dial 311. A lot of departments now let you file property crime reports through an online portal or in person at the station, which is often faster than waiting on the phone. Check your department’s website to see which channels they offer.
What to Have Ready
Having the basics organized before you call makes the report faster and gives officers more to work with. Jot these down:
- Date and time you last saw the car undamaged, and when you found the damage. That window helps investigators pull the right surveillance footage.
- Exact location. Street address, parking lot name, or garage level and spot number.
- Damage description. What was pried, scratched, broken, or tampered with.
- Suspect details if you saw anyone. Approximate height, build, clothing, direction of travel. For vehicles, color, make, model, and plate if you got it.
- Witnesses. Names and contact information for anyone who saw or heard something.
- Nearby cameras. Doorbell cams, business cameras, traffic poles. Officers may request footage, and knowing where the cameras are speeds that up.
You don’t need every item on that list. A report that reads “pry marks on driver’s side door, no suspect information” is still worth filing. Roughly 60 to 75 percent of property crimes in the United States go unreported, which leaves departments making resource decisions on incomplete data.1Bureau of Justice Statistics. Reporting to Police by Type of Crime and Location of Residence, 2020-2023 Your report may be the one that flags a pattern.
Making the Report and Getting a Case Number
When you call the non-emergency line, the dispatcher will either take the report over the phone or send an officer out. For attempted break-ins without major damage, phone or online reporting is common. If an officer does come to the scene, they may photograph the damage or dust for prints themselves.
Before you hang up or leave the station, ask for a report number or case number. That number is your key to everything downstream: the insurance claim, any follow-up from the detective bureau, and your own records. If you file online, the confirmation email should include it. Filing is free, though some departments charge a small fee later for a certified paper copy if you need one.
Don’t Wait
There’s no hard federal deadline, but sooner is better. Surveillance footage often gets overwritten within 7 to 30 days, evidence degrades, and memories fade. Reporting within 24 hours gives the investigation its best chance and heads off any question from your insurer about why you waited.
Using the Report With Your Insurance
Damage from an attempted break-in falls under comprehensive auto coverage, not collision. If you carry comprehensive, your policy will typically cover broken windows, damaged locks, and a busted ignition. Liability-only drivers pay out of pocket.
Before filing a claim, weigh the repair cost against your deductible. If a replacement window runs $250 and your deductible is $500, there’s nothing for the insurer to pay. Even when repairs edge above the deductible, a single comprehensive claim can raise your premium by roughly 3 to 10 percent, and some insurers add $30 to $70 per six-month period after a claim. For a small payout above the deductible, the premium bump over the next few years can cost more than paying yourself. Many insurers don’t surcharge for a single comprehensive claim under $1,000, so ask your agent what their policy actually is.
One point that catches people off guard: your auto policy does not cover personal items stolen from the car. A laptop, phone, or gym bag is covered under your homeowners or renters insurance instead, usually at actual cash value minus the deductible, often with sub-limits on electronics or jewelry. If someone took your laptop through a broken window, file that part of the claim with your renters or homeowners carrier.
Most insurers don’t technically require a police report for every comprehensive claim, but they strongly prefer one for theft or vandalism, and for a stolen vehicle it’s almost always required. Having the report number ready when you call your insurer removes the most common reason claims get flagged for extra review.
What Happens After You File
Be realistic. Attempted break-ins without clear suspect information rarely lead to an arrest on their own. An officer may follow up if there are usable prints, camera footage, or other leads, but in most cases the report’s value is statistical and documentary.
That isn’t nothing. In 2024, law enforcement agencies recorded over 782,000 burglaries and more than 920,000 motor vehicle thefts nationwide.2Bureau of Justice Statistics. Crime Known to Law Enforcement, 2024 Each of those started with someone’s individual report. When a string of attempts in the same garage finally leads to a suspect, your report from three months earlier may be part of the pattern supporting charges.
Keep the report number somewhere you can find it. You may need it weeks later for the insurance adjuster, a detective’s follow-up, or your building’s security team.
Reducing the Risk of a Second Attempt
Once the immediate aftermath is handled, a few habits make your car less attractive next time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends the basics:3NHTSA. Vehicle Theft Prevention
- Take your keys and never leave a spare fob in or on the car.
- Lock every door and close every window. A surprising number of break-ins involve unlocked cars.
- Park in well-lit areas, ideally near a building entrance with cameras.
- Leave nothing visible. Even an empty backpack signals that there might be something worth grabbing inside.
If your car was targeted in a specific lot, think about parking elsewhere, adding a steering wheel lock, or installing an aftermarket alarm. For residential break-ins, mention it to neighbors. A quick post in a neighborhood group often surfaces doorbell camera footage you didn’t know existed.