How Not to Help Car Thieves: News from the Washington, DC Crime Reports

This isn't an article about trends; it's simply a snapshot from a single day's crime report in Washington, DC. Here are four items of note from the Second District of the Metropolitan Police Department. These reports were all compiled on May 25, 2007. These four police reports, brief and succinct, teach a lot:

Theft from Auto occurred in the 2800 block of Devonshire Place between the hours of 12:05 am and 7:00 am. The vehicle owner reports that the front passenger side window to his vehicle was smashed to gain entry. Once inside the vehicle, the GPS Navigational System was taken.

Theft from Auto occurred in the 1600 block of 37th Street NW on May 24, 2007 between the hours of 11:20 am and 2:30 pm. The passenger side window to his vehicle was broken and a Dell laptop computer and a Fine Drive GPS system were taken from the vehicle.

Theft from Auto occurred in the 3100 block of O Street NW between the hours of 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm. The vehicle owner reports that the passenger side window was smashed with an unknown object and a briefcase, a gym bag and $280 in cash from his vehicle.

Theft from Auto occurred in the 3300 block of Q Street NW between the hours of 3:00 pm and 5:50 pm. The vehicle owner reports that the passenger side window to her vehicle was smashed and took a Dell laptop computer, a computer case, black bag and a Maxx bag from the vehicle.

It doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night or high noon: If a crook seeks something in your car, the window doesn't pose much of a barrier. Stephanie Faul, who used to work for the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety had this to say, "Do not leave anything in your car that want to see again....Never assume that your car cannot be broken into. The worst example of this I ever saw was a woman who decided to put her jewelry under the spare tire in her trunk. You can guess the rest."

Commander Andy Solberg of the Second District MPD points out that not leaving valuables in your car can help reverse crime throughout a neighborhood. He suggests that "car owners in the area take all valuable items with them when they get out of the car. If the suspects begin to see that there is nothing left in these cars they will go elsewhere."

Police crime blotters are filled with reports from people who said that they were only gone for a moment, or that they've always parked on a particular block without a problem. "It can't happen to me" is a very pervasive, but often incorrect, notion. When it comes to things stolen from cars, it's smart to learn from the experiences of others.