Full Notification

Several neighbors near Gravatt have reported thefts from parked vehicles and auto burglaries which are possibly linked to one identifiable suspect. Photos and (if my upload worked) video are posted at https://app.box.com/s/wcl9i5q5ts8eifkgioxjcbuzpmyrc701

Please do not leave valuables in your car, report any potentially related suspected activity by calling OPD; describe persons with as much detail as possible along with a description of activities, where they were seen and in which direction they were headed. Please also complete online crime reports at OaklandPolice.com in order to provide an accurate picture of crime and circumstances. Please also see my Twitter post below regarding other tips on auto burglary prevention.
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Many of us have been there: brushing shattered glass from our driver's seats, taping cardboard to a small rear window, or muttering angrily under our breaths as we calculate whether it's worth it to pay a deductible. Auto burglary. It stinks.

But it may also be an offense which is more easily controlled by us - the potential victims. With personal awareness and precautions, many of us can avoid filing that online crime report (https://secure.coplogic.com/dors/en/fili...), or wondering why we didn't write down the serial numbers of our electronics and keep the information in a safe place like Leads Online ReportIt (https://reportit.leadsonline.com/). Here are some tips:

1) Don’t leave valuables in your car. That sounds like common sense, but drivers and passengers do leave items of value in plain view every day. If you leave valuable items visible in your car, your car is automatically a target.

2) If you must leave valuable items in your car while out and about, place items out of sight before reaching your destination or move them inconspicuously out of view.

3) Once home, unload your valuables immediately. Do not store valuables in your car any longer than necessary, and certainly never overnight.

4) Try to park in busy, well-lighted areas, or in your garage (if you have one).

5) Raise your windows and lock ALL of your vehicle’s doors even if you plan to be gone for only a brief time. Every week, items are stolen from unlocked vehicles where the owner expected to be away for “just a second.” Thieves often target vehicles at gas stations or parents dropping their children off at daycare centers and schools.

6) Set any alarm or anti-theft device. If you have one, use it! Many people believe that car alarms no longer make a difference, but they can be an effective deterrent to an auto burglar - especially when fellow community members look out for one another and call police when appropriate.

7) Don’t think your dark tinted windows will hide your valuables. Thieves often use flashlights to see through tint, and after-market tint is handy to keep all the broken glass in one “sheet” when they break out your window.

8) Report suspicious activity consistent with actions commonly associated with auto burglars: Persons looking into parked cars, "jiggling" door handles, surreptitiously using flashlights, or avoiding detection by passerby and vehicles.

And the ugly truth? We know that the crime of auto burglary is often not reported to law enforcement. I develop zones of auto burglary projects or enforcement based on reported offenses and have to assume an equal rate of reporting from neighborhood to neighborhood. In order to help, we've made it easier to report online and have increased our team of police service technicians to aid in reporting. We've also partnered with LeadsOnline to provide automatic notification to us when your stolen items' serial numbers are pawned or sold.

Stay tuned for how you may be able to volunteer in or near your neighborhood to help us bring more precaution, awareness and improvement regarding this issue.

(Thank you to Miramar Florida PD for their concise tips #1 - #7 used within this post.)