EDITORIAL: We can help reduce the risk of auto break-ins

Published 10:20 am Wednesday, October 31, 2018

A recent rash of auto break-ins have made their way through Milledgeville and Baldwin County, serving as a reminder to all of us to remain vigilant to help ward off these kinds of crimes.

We can all do our part in helping to prevent these types of crimes by taking a few additional precautions. While the recent rash of break-ins does not indicate an ongoing, widely prevalent issue, they should be at least a cause for some concern.

Community members play a vital role in helping to prevent crime. Simple steps that may seem redundant such as locking doors, becoming more aware of your surroundings especially late at night, not leaving extra keys in obvious locations and knowing your neighbors can make a difference.

Here are some other tips:

•Lock the doors and close vehicle windows. Make it a habit to double check that your doors are locked and your windows are closed when parking your vehicle.

•Don’t leave your car running when you’re just popping in and out of the store

•Don’t leave valuables lying out where they can be viewed from a window. If you must leave something important in your car, put it in your trunk before you reach your destination. Experienced thieves have been known to stake out parking lots, look for drivers transferring things to their car trunk, and then break into the trunk.

•Park in well-lit areas.

According to SaferCar.gov, nearly half of all vehicles are stolen when drivers fail to take some pretty simple precautions.

The risk of being burglarized can be greatly reduced by taking simple steps to make your vehicle more difficult to enter and less enticing to would-be thieves.