Full Notification

In the month of April, the Maricopa Police Department has seen a dramatic increase in vehicle burglaries. The most recent was a series of eight vehicles broken into in the Villages community on the night of April 7, 2013. Items being taken during these crimes include wallets, stereo equipment, tools, money, blank checks and even clothing. All of the vehicles broken into were parked outside of a garage and over 70% where found to have been unlocked when crimes occurred.

Most criminals are opportunists and look for easy victims. Several things that you can do to minimize your risk of having your vehicle broken into are:

• NEVER leave the keys in your vehicle.
• Always lock the doors, even when you are away from the vehicle for a short time.
• Always roll up your windows when you leave your vehicle, even when it’s parked in the driveway or garage.
• Place items out of sight before you reach your destination. If you can’t take personal property with you, lock items in the trunk. Do not place them under the seat. This includes your purse or wallet, CDs, books, cash, keys, cell phone, laptop, garage door opener, gym bag, briefcase, jewelry, tools, packages, etc. If a thief breaks into your vehicle and steals your garage door opener and keys, they have access to your home.
• Do not leave ANY mail in your vehicle. These have your name, address and possibly contain personal financial information.
• Remove “pull out” style stereos and/or removable face plates of stereos.
• Park in well-lighted areas. At home, park your vehicle near porch lights. If you cannot park in a garage, install motion detectors lights which will illuminate your driveway at night.
• Set any alarm or anti-theft device.
• NEVER leave any documents, credit cards or checkbook in your vehicle.

The Maricopa Police Department is working hard to solve these crimes, however quite often physical evidence is very scarce in these types of cases. MPD has increased proactive patrol in the city during the nighttime hours. We encourage anyone who sees individuals lurking around parked vehicles or anything else that appears suspicious, to call police immediately.

Emergency (Something happening right now) 9-1-1
Non-Emergency (Not in progress) 520 568-3673