Crime & Safety

Police Advise Residents to Lock Cars After String of Motor Vehicle Break-ins

Thefts to Unlocked Cars in Brooklawn, Post Road by Bridgeport Border, Spruce Street and Sycamore Lane

Police are advising residents to lock their cars and remove valuables from them after 15 unlocked cars were broken into over the past month in the town's Brooklawn neighborhood, the Post Road by the Bridgeport border, Spruce Street in the town's Southport neighborhood and Sycamore Lane between midnight and 6 a.m.

"Most thefts occur from unlocked vehicles. It's an easy target," Police Sgt. Sue Lussier, a department spokesman, said Tuesday. "If you make it difficult for them, they'll go onto someone else's vehicle, so take the necessary precautions to protect your valuables and don't leave them in plain view in the car."

The most common items stolen from unlocked cars include GPS units, radios, compact discs and loose change, according to a review of motor vehicle break-ins in July.

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Police said valuables should be kept in the trunk of the car, instead of a visible area, such as the floor or back seat, and that a car alarm, or even a sticker stating that the car has an alarm, can serve as a deterrent. Tracking devices also allow police to locate stolen cars, police said.

The most recent theft took place sometime between 1:30 p.m. and 2:36 p.m. Monday in which a GPS unit valued at $180 and a Sirius satellite radio valued at $250 were stolen from an unlocked car parked on Marlborough Terrace with its windows rolled down. The GPS was mounted on the front windshield, police said.

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Removing GPS units from the windshield should be followed by cleaning the windshield so the tell-tale suction mark, which indicates that a GPS unit is in the car, isn't visible, according to police.


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