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West District Blotter

Theft from Autos, Stolen Autos, and Burglaries in the West District

November 2, 2022 8:23 AM

Hi all,

I realize it has been a while since I've posted. Hope your summers were mostly pleasant and your autumns are trending that way as well.

Unfortunately, I write with some troubling news. The west district has a band of thieves in our midst. I have seen them on video trying door handles in driveways and they are rewarded by instant access. Upon opening them, they find garage door openers, key fobs, personal belongings and sometimes, firearms. If the keys are in them, they take the car. If they can open the garage, they then find an unlocked car with a key fob and then they take the car. If they can open the door from the garage to the house, they can get into the house. If they can get into your house, they may find your keys, either in a purse on the counter or on a hook by that same unlocked door. Then they take the car.  

I am made very uneasy by this, and I bet you are as well.

First, I just want to reiterate that we are out there patrolling your streets. We are out there knocking on doors in the middle of the night if we see your garage door open. We are collecting video from residents and trying to make identifications of suspects. We assign detectives for follow up and we take this very, very seriously. We are constantly trying to improve our investigative process.

But we cannot do this alone. If you look out your window before going to bed and see your neighbor's garage open, please tell them. If you are up at 3 am and see a vehicle slowly driving down your street and it looks a bit off, call it in. If there are units available, we will come out and drive through based on your observations.

We reduce crimes of opportunity by being well, neighborly. No one is perfect. We get distracted and forget to do things, or worse yet, think we did them without actually doing them! Or, if you're like me, your kiddo runs out to get something from the car and doesn't re-lock the door and there it remains, unlocked all night.

Take the extra few seconds to make sure your items are secure. Please don't leave firearms in your vehicles. Double check your garage door. Simple tips to reduce complex problems later.

Also, have you ever heard of the Good Neighbor Project?

https://bit.ly/GoodNeighborProject

If you click on the link, you will find some really great information. Talk with your neighborhood associations about starting one. We can help if you'd like. 

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