Full Notification

Lt. James Williams, Athens-Clarke County Police Department


I just wanted to give everyone a heads up regarding a number of entering autos that occurred over the last couple of nights. These were primarily on the Downtown side of the river near the new high rise apartments on Willow St. If the thieves are still working in the area it is still important for everyone to be vigilant. The most important step that people can take to prevent the incidents or limit the loss in case they are victimized is to remove valuables from the passenger compartments of vehicles while they are parked overnight or make sure that items are locked in the trunk and that the truck opening option inside of the car has been locked out. The following items left in plain sight in the passenger compartment of a car represent an invitation to a thief:

laptops
digital cameras
GPS navigation units
designer sunglasses
briefcases and book bags
parking meter change
ipods, ipod accessories and other MP3 players
CDs
CD "books" or cases
Satellite radio units and accessories
gym bags and exercise aids
tennis rackets, golf clubs and other sporting equipment
high end clothing items such as leather jackets and gym shoes
any similar small valuables

Do not leave firearms or ammunition in the vehicle overnight even if the item is completely out of sight.

Anyone seeing suspicious people looking into parked cars at night should call 911 immediately so that the area officers can respond to check them out.

Thanks to everyone for your assistance.