Sometime between Sunday, January 10th and Wednesday, January 13th, criminals broke into seven vehicles in Lanvale Trace. Three of the vehicles had items stolen from them, three that had keys left in them were stolen and one received property damage. Though all the stolen vehicles were located in woods near Leland, all were damaged. These incidents have led to concerns in the neighborhood fueled by unsubstantiated reports of several unreported break-ins that have occurred there over the past few days.What all of these vehicles had in common were that they were all left unlocked. Like the rash of breaking and enterings that occurred in October of last year where 95% of the vehicles broken into were left unlocked, criminals target what are known as "soft targets" - those targets that require little effort or work to break into. What made these vehicles even more desirable targets was the fact that items were left in them that were both of some monetary value and in plain sight.
There are several things that can be implemented to address this problem. One is to conduct what are known as "saturation patrols" where officers move into an area where crime has been identified to either catch or discourage criminals from returning to that area. The concern with this approach is that (1) crime is usually moved to another location, such as adjoining neighborhoods; (2) requires manpower which Leland does not have and; (3) leaves the remaining parts of Leland unpatrolled and unprotected.
Another approach is known as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design or CPTED. This involves identifying what conditions, other then unsecure vehicles with keys and property left in them, that is attracting criminals to this area. This may include street lighting, road design or simple landscaping that prevents suspicious individuals from being detected due to overgrown shrubbery or trees, that may block the view of observant residents. This, combined with an active Community Watch Program, can discourage criminals from ever entering a neighborhood to commit crime.
However, the simplest and quickest way to curtail this type of crime is not to give criminals the opportunity or items to steal or damage; in other words, lock your vehicles and remove property from inside them. A locked vehicle will usually be passed by due to the time and effort required to break-in. Locked cars are also less desirable if there is no property of value visible in the vehicle, such as laptop computers, wallets, purses or cash. Parking in a well lit area or driveway that is lit is also a good deterrent.
These simple tips can prevent you from being a victim of a vehicle break-in or theft.
(Pictures courtesy of WECT - http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=11817084)
