Preventing the Common Car Burglary

In my years of experience, I've seen and worked countless car burglaries. These are just a few of the simple things to remember to keep your vehicles from being damaged and your items stolen. I think most would agree, taking thirty seconds out of your life is MORE than worth the hundreds to thousands of dollars you'll end up paying after.

ONE: Don't leave anything in your vehicle worth stealing!

Seriously, I know this one speaks for itself, but you wouldn't believe the items I've been told were stolen from vehicles during the night. Don't leave your book of 100 CD's sitting on the floorboard and expect it to be there in the morning. I know that most people think it's a pain to take in all those pesky belongings when they go inside for the night. Just remember, it's more of a pain to work all those extra hours and save up all that money to replace those items that could have been easily taken inside. I know, "but what if I have a big stereo in my car? I can't take that stuff out!". Well, if you can afford the DVD player, the monitors, and the subwoofers in the trunk, then you can afford the high dollar alarm system to protect it. So, SHUT UP. Oh, and your stereo is Detachable Face for a reason. Take that thing off and take it inside. Don't just put it in your glove box/center console/under seat. Trust me, they look there first.

TWO: Only take what you need!

Car burglaries don't just happen at home. When you travel, only take what you need. I don't care if you're driving from New York to California. YOU CAN'T LISTEN TO A HUNDRED CD'S WORTH OF MUSIC IN ONE TRIP! Take out 5 or 10 and carry then in a smaller wallet for the day. Leave the large book at home.

If you know you're going to be leaving your vehicle for a long period of time, lock all valuables in the trunk. DON'T DO IT WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION! Make sure to do this BEFORE you leave your driveway. There are people who sit in parking lots all day waiting and watching. They will see you stuff that purse under the seat. They will see EVERYTHING you put in your trunk. Most burglaries are a crime of opportunity. Don't advertise everything you keep in your vehicle by showing then as you put it in.

THREE: No multiple trips to the car!

I know that some of you just LOVE to shop. But try not to make several trips to your vehicle to drop stuff off so you can do more shopping! Same rule as before applies here. When they're watching the lot, they're going to SEE you put that big Best Buy bag into your trunk. Then after you leave, they're going to pry open your trunk and take it. Now you're out the item you bought, PLUS a couple grand in car repair. These types of burglaries occur exponentially more often during the holiday season. Simply put, poor folks and crackheads are gonna need Christmas presents too!!! So they'll be extremely happy to take those expensive items off your hands for you. So, if you're going to multiple locations to do your shopping, you'll probably be ok to leave that stuff in the trunk. But if you're doing all your shopping at the mall, I'd recommend the following. If you're tired of carrying all those bags, take them home. If that's too inconvenient for you, then go shopping with a friend. That way, you can split the bag carrying duties. Then you won't have to go back to the car as soon and you can get more done.

FOUR: Don't advertise!

Most car burglars are familiar to the neighborhoods they "shop" in. So if you've got the big kickin' system that you like to thump, turn it down before you get to your neighborhood. Also, don't bother putting the advertising logo sticker on your car after you buy the companies amplifier. I know you're proud of your 4000 watt KICKER, but when everyone that ever sees your car reads the sticker, they're going to want to be proud of that amplifier for themselves. So don't use the stickers.

Things you should know:

1. Your "factory" car alarm doesn't protect ANYTHING. If I bust out your window and reach in and unlock your car, it will not go off. Those things only go off if someone tries to steal your car without the coded key. Even then, if they bypass the sensing mechanism, it STILL won't go off. So don't rely on your factory alarm to protect anything. Those are just put in as a selling point to make the vehicle look more appealing to average customers.

2. Burglars will take ANYTHING they think they can sell. Most break ins occur because the burglar needs money, so he's going to take your items and sell them to the local pawn shop or to friends. They will also take money of any kind. If desperate enough, they'll break out your 200 dollar window for the buck-seventy three in change you left in your open ash tray. Crack heads will take almost ANYTHING they can get their hands on. So don't leave your gym bag, or school books, or anything that at one point cost you money to acquire in your car.

3. Pay attention to where you leave your car! Check the lot to see if there are cameras. If so, don't park behind the big SUV. Even if it means walking farther, park it in a highly visible area. Under surveillance cameras is a plus. If your car is highly visible in a high traffic area, it's a LOT less likely to be broken into.

Police can only do so much (which isn't much) to prevent this crime. As the recession continues, and the budgets get cut more, there will be less police patrol presence. This means more crimes of opportunity. People need to learn to fend for themselves. This means preventing these incidents before they happen. Look for future articles concerning other aspects of preventing various crimes.