Dramatic Increase in Thefts from Vehicles Reported

The Marion Police Department said they responded to 93 reports of thefts from motor vehicles during the month of November. Not only was that an increase from the previous month, but officials said it was nearly three times more reports than in October.

Major Jay McDonald of the Marion Police Department explains there are lots of things residents can do to limit and/or prevent these thefts. He says you can help keep yourself from becoming a victim by taking a “Take, Lock, Hide” approach, something he called the basic crime fighting tool to preventing theft from a motor vehicle.

• Lock your vehicle. Yes, it takes seconds to break a window, but doing so makes noise – and criminals hate making noise. Also, officers report that in many instances where a victim left their vehicle unlocked (to prevent windows from being broken); the suspect broke the window anyway, expecting the vehicle to be locked.
• Hide valuables from sight, or, even better, take items with you. If a criminal doesn’t see anything, they’re less likely to break in, and will go to the next vehicle and window shop.  Remember to hide valuables before you park in the place you’re leaving your vehicle. If a criminal sees you put a laptop in the trunk, they’ll just break into the trunk when you leave. Same advice for putting property under a seat. If a criminal sees you reaching under a seat, they’ll assume something is under there, and break in, looking for property.
• Park in areas that are not secluded. Well lit parking lots, with good “sight lines”, make it more likely your vehicle is visible to the general public.
• After market car stereos; consider models with removable faceplates. Take the faceplate with you when you leave your vehicle.
• Record serial numbers of property you may leave inside your vehicle. Recording the serial numbers of valuable property or engraving your driver’s license number or name on valuable property will help the police recover and identify the property as yours.

McDonald also encourages residents to be good neighbors and ask those living around you to join you in looking out for each other. He says you should watch out for suspicious people in your neighborhood and call the police at 740-387-2525 when you spot someone acting suspiciously.

“Remember, there is no 100% fool-proof way to prevent all crime,” said McDonald. “You can make yourself less likely to be a victim of theft from a motor vehicle by following the above tips, and by using common sense. Simply locking your vehicle and removing property from inside is half the battle.”

“Remember that you are an important partner in the fight against crime,” stated McDonald.

Click here to view a chart provided by the police department showing some details on the thefts from vehicles.

The Marion Police Department urges the citizens of Marion County to continue to provide information to the Marion Police Department through the TIPS Line at 375-TIPS.