Abilene has February Rise in Car Burglaries
By: Brendaliss Gonzalez
Updated: February 15, 2012
Abilene auto glass has been especially busy this February.
"In the last three weeks we've had a lot more vandalism," said James Hill, a manager there.
They've had over 20 cars come in during the last two weeks, up from last month. And there's a new target.
"Lately all I've seen are 4-door cars being hit. They're usually fairly late model vehicles," said Hill.
Potential car thieves typically wait in parking lots to scope out the area. They usually pry on women leaving their cars without a purse. That usually means they've left something inside of value and that is an easy target.
"We believe that the burglaries could be prevented greatly if the citizens would just be a little more proactive about not leaving their personal belongings inside their vehicles," said George Spindler, Abilene Police Department's Public Information Officer.
Local law enforcement recommends immediately reporting any burglary or signs of potential scopers.
"Pretty much leave the vehicle intact and alone," said Spindler. "If there's any evidence preserved then let the officers coming on scene take a peek at that and see if any of the officers can gather any evidence.
Hill warns that tinted windows are no protection. They're actually a sign of valuables inside.
And keeping your car untidy may not be a good idea.
"Even if you're just leaving trash laying around, I mean just stuff, clothes, you know, people will think that you're hiding stuff under that clothes," said Hill. "So if you've got clothing laying in the back seat, people are gonna think that you put that clothing over something.
"In the last three weeks we've had a lot more vandalism," said James Hill, a manager there.
They've had over 20 cars come in during the last two weeks, up from last month. And there's a new target.
"Lately all I've seen are 4-door cars being hit. They're usually fairly late model vehicles," said Hill.
Potential car thieves typically wait in parking lots to scope out the area. They usually pry on women leaving their cars without a purse. That usually means they've left something inside of value and that is an easy target.
"We believe that the burglaries could be prevented greatly if the citizens would just be a little more proactive about not leaving their personal belongings inside their vehicles," said George Spindler, Abilene Police Department's Public Information Officer.
Local law enforcement recommends immediately reporting any burglary or signs of potential scopers.
"Pretty much leave the vehicle intact and alone," said Spindler. "If there's any evidence preserved then let the officers coming on scene take a peek at that and see if any of the officers can gather any evidence.
Hill warns that tinted windows are no protection. They're actually a sign of valuables inside.
And keeping your car untidy may not be a good idea.
"Even if you're just leaving trash laying around, I mean just stuff, clothes, you know, people will think that you're hiding stuff under that clothes," said Hill. "So if you've got clothing laying in the back seat, people are gonna think that you put that clothing over something.
