Ask An Officer

Question: Do you have any tips on how to prevent my car being broken into? Answer: With the holidays fast approaching and shopping on the increase, this is a timely question. Around this time of year, a lot of people become victims of theft from their vehicles and VPD wants to offer these suggestions on how to avoid such incidents. One of the easiest and often forgotten ways is to simply lock your car doors. You’d be surprised to learn how many people have their vehicles broken into because they left their car doors unlocked. Another way is to avoid leaving valuables (i.e. gifts, wallets, purses, electronics, firearms, etc.) and items that appear to be valuables (i.e. empty money holders, empty boxes, gym bags, etc.) inside the passenger compartment in plain view. If you have to leave items in your car, put them in your trunk or conceal them under a seat or under a covering. Also, do not park your car and then proceed to take the items of value out of the passenger compartment and place them in the trunk. A would-be thief may be watching. When doing large-volume shopping, do not place the first load in the car and simply return to the store. Again, a would-be thief may be watching. If you have to make multiple trips, bring your items out to your car and relocate to another parking spot or simply drive around a bit. If thieves are watching, they will think you left the store. We hope these quick tips help – and please be mindful of your surroundings at all times! If you have a question you’d like to ask the Versailles Police Department, please email it to john@woodfordsun.com.