View All Spotlight Stories Car Theft Prevention
Protecting Your Vehicle & Its Contents: The Nassau County Police Department wants you to keep your auto and its contents secure. The police department has noticed a recent increase in crimes related to automobiles. Some of the following suggestions are quite easy to do and they limit the possibility of theft of your auto and its contents.
When leaving your car unattended, close your windows and lock the doors. Half of all stolen cars are left unlocked. Remove the keys, because one fifth of all car thefts are caused by leaving the keys in the car. It only takes about 10 seconds to steal your idling car while you are in the convenience store. Park the car in a well-lit, busy car lot or a lot with an attendant. Do not hide a spare key on your car. Thieves usually know where to look for the hidden key. Do not leave your insurance cards, registration or title in the glove box. Carry copies of your automobile’s paperwork with you, leaving originals in a safe place. This hinders criminals from impersonating you when they are stopped by the police.
Never leave valuables such as backpacks, purses, IPods, GPS systems in plain view. If you must leave items in the auto you should lock them out of view in the trunk. Criminals watch when you drive into parks, running tracks, gyms etc. They see you arrive at your destination and watch you put the valuables under the seat of the car. While you are away they break into the car and steal your wallet, pocketbook, laptop, etc. To stop criminals from breaking into your car while you are busy, put the items into the trunk before you arrive or carry them with you.
Larcenies of GPS units from autos have always been a concern to the police department. When the vehicle is left unattended don’t leave your GPS unit on your windshield, hide it in the auto. Another tip to avoid someone from breaking into your car to steal the GPS unit is to take down the GPS holder and wipe the suction cup residue off the windshield.
Overall the best advice to stop criminals is to always lock your auto and leave no valuables in it when you leave your unoccupied auto.
Nassau County Police Department
7th Precinct POP Unit
