Vehicle Theft and Damage

A significant number of police reports taken involve thefts from motor vehicles.

Many of these thefts could have been prevented, by simply removing the valuables from the unattended automobiles. Leaving backpacks, book bags, purses, or briefcases inside an unattended vehicle is an open invitation for thieves to steal your property.

Excuses include, “I was only gone for a few minutes.” It takes mere seconds to smash a window to grab valuables inside. Far too often citizens have arrived at a shopping mall where they immediately secured valuables by putting them in the trunk of their cars.

Thieves know this, and are watching everything occurring in the parking lot. Once the vehicle is left unattended, it takes a screwdriver and very little time to punch the lock and gain access to the ‘supposed hidden’ property.

If you can’t take the valuables with you, but intend to secure them in the trunk of your vehicle, do this before arriving at your destination. In our twenty-first century techno society, it is common to find people owning the latest and greatest electronic gadgets for use in their vehicles.

Dashboard mounted GPS (global positioning satellite) navigation systems, radar detectors, cellular phone/IPODs, and other devices left in vehicles are open invitation for thieves to break into the vehicles. Remove the theft incentive, and thieves are less likely to target your vehicle. Take these items with you when the vehicle is left unattended.

Do not rely solely on a security alarm to protect the contents of your vehicle. To break a window and grab valuables takes mere seconds. Thieves won’t stick around long enough to get caught, and usually vanish long before someone investigates why the security alarm sounded.