RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — It’s a problem various communities have seen. Guns stolen out of vehicles. In Rapid City alone, the number stolen in the past five years is now at 500.

In the last year alone, 124 guns were stolen from vehicles in Rapid City.

“We came to find out that that number compared to the population is disproportionate in a negative way compared to other similar sized cities across the United States,” Brendyn Medina, Rapid City Police Dept., said.

The Rapid City Police Department reported that nearly 70 percent of the guns stolen from vehicles in the last 5 years showed no sign of forced entry.

That is why the police and the City of Rapid City urge everyone to never leave guns in the car unattended and always lock your doors.

“It’ll save their valuables, it’ll save those guns from getting stolen and most importantly it’ll save those guns from being used down the road by the people who are stealing them,” Darrell Shoemaker, City of Rapid City, said.

Often times when guns are stolen, it correlates with violent crime. Which has been on the rise in Rapid City.

“We don’t want our residents to be contributing with those crime situations,” Shoemaker said.

People in the community can help prevent potential crime in Rapid City by being responsible gun owners.

“Responsibility as a firearm owner starts with maintaining 24/7 accountability of that firearm and when you are leaving that firearm in a vehicle, much less an unlocked vehicle and you walk away from it, that is not 24/7 accountability for that gun,” Medina said.

The Rapid City Police Department says it receives calls about stolen guns at all times of the year. The Department also says it can happen in any area of town.