Sean C. Morgan
In most cases in Sweet Home, when someone reports a thief has entered a vehicle, a door was unlocked.
Police figures show that trend continued through 2017 as the number of “car prowls” – unlawful entry into a motor vehicle – increased from 44 in 2016 to 64 in 2017.
In 2017, 47 of those vehicles were left unsecured. Ten were locked. Police were unable to determine whether the vehicle had been secured in seven cases, said Police Chief Jeff Lynn. In those cases, the owner may have believed the door had been locked, but the vehicle showed no sign of forced entry.
In 2016, 32 vehicles were unsecured, while 11 were locked. Police were uncertain in one case.
“We had a real dip in 2016,” Lynn said. It had the lowest number of car prowls in the past four years. The previous three years were “real consistent.”
In 2015, Sweet Home had 73 reported car prowls, with 61 into unlocked vehicles and 10 into locked vehicles, with two unknown.
In 2014, thieves broke into 68 vehicles. Of those, 54 were unsecured and 10 were secured, while police were uncertain in four cases.
“Compared to the overall Sweet Home Police Department call volume (9,914 calls), car prowls are a minimal factor,” Lynn said. “However, car prowls do lead to a feeling of diminished livability within the community and affect the perception of overall safety.”
Sweet Home residents can take several steps to reduce their chance of being a victim of a car prowl, Lynn said.
“There’s some simple steps you can take to lower your risk. Lock your vehicle and keep valuables out of sight. Don’t have a gun in the seat. Don’t leave a computer on the seat.”
He suggests putting valuables in the trunk, and leaving the car looking empty.
Keeping the interior “showroom clean” with nothing in it eliminates a reason to break into a car.
Offenders have been known to break into vehicles for items such as gym bags because they assume the bag may contain electronic devices or other valuable items.
Vehicle owners should hide chargers and accessories indicating a GPS, mobile phone or other device may be stashed in a vehicle.
It’s really common-sense kind of things, Lynn said. The big one is to lock the doors.
Known secured vehicles represented 15.6 percent of the car prowls in 2017. They were 25 percent of the cases in 2016 and 13.7 percent of them in 2015.
Most car prowls occur with unlocked vehicles.
The overwhelming majority of them also occur in residential areas overnight, Lynn said. A small percentage occur in business parking lots.
Typically, offenders walk around and check doors to see if they’re locked, moving on if so, Lynn said. “Call if you see somebody walking by and looking out of place. Give us a call.”
Even if there is no crime and police don’t find anyone, if police respond to the area, it can deter the crime from taking place at all, Lynn said.
Car prowls tend to be a crime of opportunity, with the crime committed in a minute or less in a variety of settings.
Owners should consider lighting with motion detectors at home, creating a psychological deterrent. On the street or in parking lots, they should park in well-lit open spaces and avoid parking in an area that limits visibility.
Frequently stolen items include laptops, electronic devices, GPS systems, mail, bills, documents with personal information, purses, wallets, luggage, gym bags, money, cell phones, chargers and firearms.
Such crime can be difficult to solve, Lynn said.
“It’s hard if there’s no physical evidence at the scene. Typically, they won’t keep the property for long periods. They get rid of the property. Mostly it’s traded.
“That’s why officers try to keep tabs on who’s out and about at night.”
In 2017, police arrested six persons for unlawful entry into a motor vehicle.
In most cases, the crime had just happened, and the suspect still had possession of stolen property, Lynn said, or a witness observed the subject.
During 2018, the Police Department is focusing additional effort on education and crime prevention strategies, Lynn said. The focus will shift monthly.
This month, the focus is on car prowls.
While focusing on different areas, the Police Department will publish and make available information to community members, Lynn said. Beginning this month, the department will provide this and many more crime prevention strategies on the city’s website, the department’s Facebook page and the department’s Twitter account.
For more information, call the Police Department at (541) 367-5181.