Mar 21, 2012 | News
Fighting Auto Theft With Awareness API Magazine Article February 2012 It’s not every day that a person can boast about being a crime fighter or say they have thwarted experienced criminals, yet people are doing so across the nation. With a simple concept in mind, growing populations have taken a stand to fight auto theft by just being aware. Hide your things, Lock your car, and Take your keys is the phrase that is making all of this happen. Hide Lock Take (HLT), once Lock Take Hide, made its debut in the city of Dallas in 2004 at a police crime prevention demonstration. When crime was at an all time high and departments all over were investing in many ideas and concepts to help stop vehicle burglaries a small program started spreading. Within the city limits, yellow black and red signs were being placed in high traffic areas and back alley parking lots. These signs featured the phrase that caught the eyes and attention of anyone who chose to park in those areas. What seems to be a simple and obvious solution became precisely that. Crime does not have to be fought by police reports and detectives, true crime fighting starts with the average citizen. During the early 2000’s Texas experienced half a million auto burglaries and thefts. Large cities were hit the hardest by this way of crime. Once the Dallas Police Department took on HLT, vehicle crimes were reported to have decreased by over 80%. From there, the surrounding cities took on the awareness campaign and experienced even higher success rates. Shopping areas, parks, fitness centers,...