By Officer Rob Romey
of the Independence Police Dept.
In the past 3 months, 361 people have walked to their cars to make an upsetting discovery. They have become the victim of one of the faster growing crimes in the United States, auto larceny.
Although larcenies by most are considered petty crimes, the national increase in this crime is quite unnerving. In Independence alone, we have seen a 61% increase in this crime over the past last 2 years.
Why this increase? Historically, car thieves would be after purses and briefcases. Although they still target these items, we are keeping much more valuable items in our cars then ever before. With electronics getting smaller, it is not uncommon for people to carry cell phones, GPS navigation systems, laptops, I-pods, and other high price items in their vehicles.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, or upon arrival at your destination, it is much easier to leave some of these items in your car, than to carry them all with you. This creates a perfect target for the thief. Criminals can quickly look inside your vehicle, and determine what you have inside it. They then make the split second decision whether or not to break in. If they decide to break in, they smash a window, pop a lock, or jimmy a door to gain entry. They are quick, and within 30 seconds they are on their way.
Car larcenies do not always end with the broken window, and lost electronics. If a criminal does take a purse or briefcase they can easily steal your identity later. If they have credit cards they can quickly make expensive purchases. If they steal a garage door opener, spare key to your house, or any piece of mail with your address on it, they can burglarize your home. Do you use a magnetic box to hide a spare car key in case you lock your keys in your car? Not a good idea.
With this being said, we need to ask what we can do to prevent this crime from occurring. Fortunately this crime is also a very preventable crime. Below are a few suggestions to help keep your auto safe.
- Lock your doors, and roll up your windows. Believe it or not, several people will leave their car unlocked, or leave the windows rolled down. This makes it very easy for the criminals to get into your vehicle.
- Conceal valuables in your trunk. If possible, do this before you get to your destination. Most vehicles have an interior trunk release. If criminals see you placing valuables in your trunk they may break into the car to get access to the trunk.
- Park in well lighted well traveled areas. If you are going shopping, park somewhere that is easily visible to foot or street traffic. Park where there are no natural or unnatural obstructions, i.e. trees, shrubs or large vehicles.
- Leave nothing in your vehicle. This includes bags with non-valuable items. If a criminal sees a bag, he or she will not know what is in it, and may break in to find out.
- Report suspicious behavior. If you see someone walking through a parking lot, looking at different vehicles, call the police! Often car prowlers are mistaken for people who are looking for their vehicle. We have all had to look for our vehicle. Not once have I ever had to look in a vehicle to determine whether or not it was mine!
Auto larcenies are common, but are also preventable. Lets all take the initiative to stop this crime before it happens. If we each do our part to protect our vehicle, we can do our part to prevent crime from occurring in our city.
