Car Break-Ins Prompts Safety Tips

Several strings of car break-ins have led the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office to officer tips for residents to prevent theft. In several cases, cars were targeted because they were left unlocked.

Here are the tips, as provided by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office:

• Keep your vehicle locked. Most stolen items are taken from vehicles that are left unlocked.
• Remove all items from your vehicle, including garage door openers, when not in use. When you cannot do this, put the items out of sight (inside a lockable glove box or trunk). If your vehicle has an integrated garage door opener, please try to park your vehicle in the garage.
• A visible GPS unit is an obvious target, but car prowlers also look for any signs that one may be inside your vehicle, such as a mount on the window or dashboard. Even the circle impression left on the windshield from the suction cup mount is enough for thieves to break-in. They assume a GPS is hidden somewhere inside. Please try to rid your unattended vehicle of all tell-tale signs.
• Park inside your garage, if available, and keep the garage locked. Or, try to park your vehicle near or under an illuminated area.