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Chesapeake Police offer tips to prevent larceny from vehicles

Posted at 5:04 PM, Aug 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-15 19:20:14-04

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – Chesapeake Police are reporting an upswing in larcenies from vehicles during the summer months.

The department said in a release that as the weather improves, these crimes have increased. To help the public protect themselves from larceny, police offered these six tips.

  • Always lock your vehicle! When criminals are in a hurry to check as many cars as possible in as short an amount of time as possible, they will pull on your door handle. If it is locked they will move on to the next vehicle, but if it is unlocked they have will take the time to go through every part of your vehicle they can get to and check for valuables.
  • Take your valuables inside with you. If you must leave something of value (or perceived value, like a duffle bag) in your vehicle, put it in your trunk where it is out of sight. Hiding something under your seat is not considered out of sight or a secure place to hide something.
  • NEVER leave firearms in your vehicle! Weapons left inside vehicles get stolen all the time and are then in the hands of criminals. There is no safe place inside a vehicle to leave a firearm.
  • Most criminals won’t break a window to a vehicle to get inside of it unless they have good motivation to do so. Remember, criminals do not know that a purse sitting on your floorboard is empty, so even items that could be perceived as valuable may get your window broken.
  • Park in well-lit areas. This is not limited just to shopping centers, but at home too. If you are parking on the street, try to park under a street light. If your driveway does not have a light illuminating it, add a motion sensor light or a dusk to dawn light so your vehicle is not sitting in the pitch black. Criminals don’t want to be seen, and lighting is not their friend.
  • Cameras are not meant for prevention. While they can be great tools for identification and prosecution, don’t let the fact that you have a camera aimed at your car or cars give you a false sense of security.