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Friday, July 30, 2010 |
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Vehicle burglaries on the rise in Seguin
Published March 12, 2010
SEGUIN — Vehicle burglaries have spiked in Seguin recently, and a veteran police sergeant has called on citizens to help police stop the common crimes of opportunity — by locking vehicles whenever they’re unattended and avoiding leaving valuables inside.
“We’ve been getting hit pretty hard lately with daytime vehicle burglaries,” said Patrol Sgt. James Springer. “The locations are well-traveled, crowded areas such as shopping centers and restaurants.”
Some vehicle burglars believe in using blunt force and smash out windows or pry open doors to gain access to cars and any valuables inside. Others who are more sophisticated use special tools to punch out lock cylinders and gain access that way.
But Springer said the most common vehicle burglaries of all are those in which no damage is done at all — because the don’t have to. In those cases, valuable items have been left in plain sight in unlocked vehicles.
“All have one thing in common,” Springer said. “Items inside the vehicles such as purses, laptop computers, cell phones and GPS units are left out in plain sight.”
Many times, when Springer or one of his patrol officers takes a report on a vehicle burglary, they learn that the vehicles are left unlocked because a victim thought there was no need to secure the vehicle because it would only be unattended for a few minutes.
That’s not a good idea, Springer said.
“Most car burglaries happen within seconds, so just running in the store or restaurant for a minute and leaving items visible means you might return to find your things missing,” Springer said. “Take your valuables with you or place them out of sight, and lock your doors. If you have a stereo with a removable faceplate, take it with you.”
A security system is a good idea, Springer said, and if your car or truck doesn’t come equipped with one, go to one of the aftermarket installers. Oftentimes, Springer said, installation of such a device can save money.
“Check with your insurance agent to see if they offer a discount on your policy with the installation of an after-market alarm,” Springer said.
Try to avoid leaving valuables in the vehicle, Springer said. Monday afternoon outside a popular local restaurant, a local family lost a computer, a camera and other property while they had lunch. Whoever took the items popped a lock to get into the vehicle, but they were perhaps emboldened to do so by seeing valuables inside.
“The best place to store items out of sight is the trunk or under the seat,” Springer said. “When placing items under the seat, push them back enough so they cannot be viewed through the windshield or from different angles. If they can’t see it, they won’t want it.”
When possible, park in a well-lighted area, and better still in a monitored area.
Any of those measures would help, Springer said — and oftentimes will encourage a burglar to look somewhere else.
But bar none, Springer said, your best defense against burglars is a nosy neighbor.
“That’s our biggest problem in fighting burglaries — people don’t want to get involved,” Springer said. “But we can’t be everywhere, and we depend on the public for information that helps us solve crimes. If you see something unusual at your neighbor’s house, call the police and have us come check it out.”
Anyone who sees something suspicious should call police at 830-379-2123. A definite crime in progress, Springer said, should be immediately reported to emergency officials.
If the burglary is already over and whoever did it escaped without being seen, call police at 830-379-2123.
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