Local Alabama police provided an insight on the surge of car theft rates in the state. It turns out local residents have been very lax about their car security, even going as far as leaving their car running whenever they do a quick stop at various shops.
Sergeant Johnny Williams of the Birmingham police was quoted saying, “With the extremely cold temperatures, we have had a number of vehicle thefts as a result of citizens allowing vehicles to run in an effort to warm the car while the vehicle is unattended,” “In a large number of cases, citizens leave their keys in their vehicle as they go into a convenience store to make a purchase or pay for gas. Remember, ‘This is not Mayberry!'”
As a result, the Birmingham police released helpful tips that can help prevent car theft incidents:
- Never leave your vehicle running and unattended while in your home or in a store. This has become one of the most common forms of stolen vehicles.
- Park in a well lit area at night or when shopping.
- Equip your vehicle with an anti-theft device.
- Close all windows and lock all doors.
- Keep your tag number and vehicle identification number in your wallet.
- Don’t leave valuables in plain view.
- Don’t leave GPS mounts attached to windows.
- After shopping, don’t leave packaging of expensive gifts in the front of your residence for garbage pick-up. If possible, break down the packaging and place it in garbage bags or cans. You can also transport packaging to area land fields for disposal.
Help spread awareness in your city
With this knowledge in hand, you can help keep your city safe by placing the copyright and trademark protected signs and designs on your property or in your area. You can also make custom sign donations to your local police department and they will disperse them to businesses and in parks and recreation areas. Hide Lock Take started as a proactive crime awareness program in Dallas. It has since become the most successful tool that travels around the country fighting crimes and making a difference. If you want to keep your city safe and educate the citizens let hidelocktake.com be your resource.