Car safety: break-in prevention (Hilo: homes, school, live)

[CyberCity]

Hawaii is a wonderful place to vacation, but a traveler needs to use common sense precautions to help prevent becoming the victim of an opportunity crime. This news release today is about Hawaii Island, but the advice would apply to everywhere.... in the state of Hawaii and in other states:

Hawaiʻi Island police are warning the public about a recent rash of car break-ins. During the months of January and February, 35 cars were entered illegally at parks, shopping centers and homes in the South Hilo District. Of those, 27 auto break-ins involved cars or trucks that had been left unlocked. The remaining eight involved locked vehicles that had been forced open after valuable items had been left in plain view.

During the same time period, police in Kona responded to 31 cases of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, and Puna officers responded to 25.

Captain Robert Wagner urges citizens to lock their cars, even those parked at home, and to remove all valuables. “If you lock your vehicle doors and don’t leave items of value in plain view, it is highly unlikely you will be the victim of a car break-in,” Wagner said. “Also, car break-ins in many cases contribute to identity theft, as thieves often target vehicles with purses left in plain view.”

In addition to thefts of items from within vehicles, Wagner said, some thieves steal the cars when keys are left in the ignition—often when the owners make a quick stop at the store.

Police advise the public to take the extra steps of removing car keys and valuables and locking car doors.

Come visit, use everyday cautions (you might be on vacation, but thieves are not!), and enjoy your trip.

[melaniej65]

If you are going to leave valuables (purse, cameras, etc) stop somewhere before your destination and either stash it out of sight or lock it in the trunk.

Often thieves will scope out a parking lot and watch to see who puts things in the trunk or is taking longer in the car before getting out.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Sadly, now true just about in every location, all over the world.

Don't leave your brains at home when you vacation.

[OpenD]

There is only one foolproof way to prevent having valuables stolen from your car... don't leave them in your car!

As obvious as that seems to me, apparently a lot of people just like to tempt fate.

The ones that kill me are the women who carry large purses, then leave them in the car while they "run inside" at their school or the shopping center or the gas station... and many times even leave their car unlocked! The Hilo PD say that half the thefts from cars at Prince Kuhiko Plaza are from unlocked cars!

[Becca8377]

A week after I move to Oahu, I went to Ala Moana mall for dinner. My car had been broken into. I still had Florida plates at the time. Unfortunately for the crooks, I had absolutely nothing of value in my car because it had just been shipped. There was nothing out in the open at all - the only items they took were an old Discman (the kind with the tape deck insert because I didn't have a CD player in my car) and some teeny bopper pop CDs that I had had for years. Those items were in the glovebox - the only reason they were in the car was because I didn't care if they got stolen during shipment. They did more damage to my car by punching the lock in than what they stole. I bet they were pissed - you couldn't pay someone to take those items off your hands

[bolillo_loco]

As others have pointed out, never leave anything in your vehicle. If you're going to leave something in the auto, stop before you get to your destination, and place it in a compartment where it's out of sight. I'd further suggest not locking your doors. If you leave your doors opened and nothing inside, a thief will quickly browse your car, see that there's nothing to take, and leave your vehicle undamaged.

For example, I had a roommate, and we lived in a seedy part of town. Nikko, a Puerto Rican, used to crack on me about how white people are so lame and lack street smarts simply because I would tell him to unlock my truck door after he'd locked it upon exiting. He told me how he's got his car locked down so nobody can go through his car.

One day, we were heading out together, and we took my truck. As soon as we got in the truck, it was in a state of disarray. He quipped, "You see bolillo, you've got to lock your truck." I said, well, I see that they've also gone through your car, and look, the driver's side window is smashed! It was also raining...

You cannot prevent thievery. It's going to happen. The only thing you can do within reason is to not make yourself an obvious target, and if you don't have valuables in your car, don't lock it.

Cheers,
bolillo

[whtviper1]

I agree with the Police Captain in thread 1. Lock your car even parked at home in the garage. Having an unlocked car just invites vandalism to your car (cutting seats, etc). Locked cars defer teenagers wanting to mess around your car while they search out an unlocked car and pass yours by.

[eureka1]

Don't feel alone. We have the same problem in our beach areas.

[CyberCity]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

I agree with the Police Captain in thread 1. Lock your car even parked at home in the garage. Having an unlocked car just invites vandalism to your car (cutting seats, etc). Locked cars defer teenagers wanting to mess around your car while they search out an unlocked car and pass yours by.

Yep, that.

One place we lived, we had a car that did not lock, which we parked in a carport at night. Come to find out, it was a convenient place for someone to have taken up as a night-time sleeping place.

And there is a further safety precaution (especially at night), locking your doors helps prevent you from hopping inside of it only to find a surprise passenger tucked behind the back seat. Yes, not an "everyday threat", but good safety habits are what help to keep you safe.

[Kayekaye]

Just hate a hot car from being locked up sitting in the sun all day at the beach. I usually leave the windows down during the day and never had a problem on my many vacations. Never overnight though. I guess I figure I would rather have it open than a broken window. I never leave anything in the car or trunk ever.