In wake of auto burglaries Police Chief urges residents to take care with vehicles

Police officers have responded to numerous calls in past weeks involving personal items being stolen out of vehicles, most while parked outside the owner’s home.

Just after 7:00 a.m. Friday, officers were called to a home on Douglas Drive where the resident reported that two pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses, with a combined value of $400, were missing out of his 2015 GMC service truck. He told officers that he had left the truck unlocked outside of his home overnight. That morning he discovered that someone had ransacked the truck and stolen the sunglasses.

A resident of Geri Street requested that an officer be dispatched to her home at 7:23 a.m. after she found that her 2015 Nissan Altima had been burglarized. The victim said that the crime occurred sometime after she went to bed the previous night. The person responsible had ransacked the interior of the car and stolen a birth certificate and house key. No signs of forced entry were found and the owner said that she was uncertain whether she had locked the doors.

Officers were called to a second home on Douglas Drive shortly before 9:00 a.m. where the resident reported that, overnight, someone had entered her unlocked 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. As in the previous instances, the car had been ransacked. Various makeup items were reported stolen along with the owner’s purse and Ray-Ban sunglasses. She estimated her loss at $738.

A second call to Geri Street came in just before 2:00 p.m. when a resident discovered that his 2000 GMC Yukon had been targeted by burglars. He told officers that the only thing that appeared to be missing was a Garmin GPS system valued at $200. He said that both the glove box and center console had been searched and left open. The vehicle had been left in the owner’s driveway, unlocked.

Beecham warns residents, “This time of the year we tend to see an increase in these types of crimes.” He urges residents to always secure their vehicles and not leave valuables lying in plain sight. To be even more secure, he says to stow your items in your trunk, or do not leave them in the vehicle at all.