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Nothing stopping a criminal from using a slim jim or just smashing a window to get to your valuables.
Two things-
1) If thieves are smashing windows or using slim jims, they are likely to set off an alarm. Once the first alarm goes off, the thief is going to be out of the neighborhood. You may have been broken into, but you saved 14 neighbors from a similar crime.
2) Criminals go for low-hanging fruit. I think the OP mentioned that not a single car that had items stolen was locked. When it's not an easy crime, you're a lot less likely to be a victim of it.
Guys, this was not a casual moment of opportunity. This was a thief that has done this many times and executed this attack extremely calculated. He went house to house and took his time. This was not a spur of the moment thing for him.
Guys, this was not a casual moment of opportunity. This was a thief that has done this many times and executed this attack extremely calculated. He went house to house and took his time. This was not a spur of the moment thing for him.
This begs the question, why didn't y'all lock your cars and remove valuables if it's happened before? Burgle me once, shame on you. Burgle me twice, shame on me.
1) If thieves are smashing windows or using slim jims, they are likely to set off an alarm. Once the first alarm goes off, the thief is going to be out of the neighborhood. You may have been broken into, but you saved 14 neighbors from a similar crime.
What percentage of cars have car alarms in them though? If this were a high end neighborhood maybe most but in an average range neighborhood? In my neighborhood I'd be surprised if any of the cars have alarms installed.
This was the first time this happened in our neighborhood. But not the first time this guy did this. This is just my opinion based on his tactic.
Understood - and sorry it happened to you and your neighbors. I'm sorry our other comments won't help you find the thief and that you can find him/them quickly...but please make sure your neighbors are aware of common sense, basic safety measures so it won't happen to them again.
1) If thieves are smashing windows or using slim jims, they are likely to set off an alarm. Once the first alarm goes off, the thief is going to be out of the neighborhood. You may have been broken into, but you saved 14 neighbors from a similar crime.
2) Criminals go for low-hanging fruit. I think the OP mentioned that not a single car that had items stolen was locked. When it's not an easy crime, you're a lot less likely to be a victim of it.
Does your car alarm go off if someone breaks your window but you didn't have the door locked???
Sorry this happened to you, OP but I have heard from many folks that this is happening in many n'hoods. It seems like so many people leave their cars parked on the driveway, unlocked, with laptops, gps, etc. just setting on the seats.
This is happening all over, guys. LOCK YOUR DOORS even when parked in your own driveway or don't leave your valuables in there.
I hadn't even thought of those folks that leave their car doors unlocked and their garage door openers are on their visors! Scary! And how many of those same people leave the door from the house to the garage, unlocked? VERY scary!
Does your car alarm go off if someone breaks your window but you didn't have the door locked???
Sorry this happened to you, OP but I have heard from many folks that this is happening in many n'hoods. It seems like so many people leave their cars parked on the driveway, unlocked, with laptops, gps, etc. just setting on the seats.
This is happening all over, guys. LOCK YOUR DOORS even when parked in your own driveway or don't leave your valuables in there.
I hadn't even thought of those folks that leave their car doors unlocked and their garage door openers are on their visors! Scary! And how many of those same people leave the door from the house to the garage, unlocked? VERY scary!
Vicki
I have a 2000 Volvo V40 and 2004 Nissan Sentra. Both are the cheapest trim packages for their model and year. In both, if I lock the car from the outside and then attempt to unlock it from the inside, the alarm goes off. The Volvo alarm is a lot louder vs. the Nissan (the Nissan simply honks the horn repeatedly), but I've accidentally tested this feature many times when I leave the windows down in the summer and go to unlock the car without a key.
So, given that your car is locked (which would be the reason a thief breaks the window in the first place) and then uses a broken window to gain access to unlocking the door, then an alarm will go off. I would say that the majority of cars with some form of keyless entry have this feature. It's easy to test if your car has this feature, too-- just roll down the window, lock your car with your keyless entry, and then reach in to unlock it.
A patrol officer in Durham broke it down for us. Of the total theft from vehicle cases in Durham, over 2/3rd of them showed no forced entry. Just lock your doors.
"Lock your car."
I'm really restraining myself here, but I don't think that that's an original idea.
The police say "No forced entry"? I don't think that using a Slim Jim leaves any marks.
I used to have a Dodge Shadow. It was a snap to pop the door locks. The kids would just start doing it to annoy me -- I'd come out of home or work and the car would be sitting there with all the doors wide open and nothing missing.
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