Crime & Safety

More Thefts Reported From Unlocked Cars

As a spate of thefts from cars continues in Doylestown, police remind people to lock their vehicles.

A recent string of thefts from unlocked cars continued unabated this week in Doylestown.

Jewelry, electronic gadgets and cash were among the haul the thieves made off with in at least three incidents reported to Doylestown Borough Police this week.

In one, an undetermined amount of jewelry and a Tom-Tom GPS unit valued at about $200 were stolen from a vehicle parked on the tens block of Pearl Drive. It happened sometime between 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12, according to police reports released Thursday.

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In another, a Garmin GPS unit valued at about $70 was removed from an unlocked vehicle parked in a driveway on the 700 block of Stryker Avenue. It happened sometime between 11 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 and 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16.

In a third, a purse, sunglasses, an iPod, and numerous pieces of jewelry were stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked behind Stephanie’s sometime between 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 and 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13.

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The stolen items are valued at about $1,890, according to the police report.

In a fourth incident, a resident of the 800 block of North Chubb Drive reported that someone entered his unlocked vehicle and rummaged through its contents sometime between 10 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 and 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, but no items were reported missing.

The thefts reported this week follow on the heels of at least eight thefts from vehicles last week.

Borough police added extra patrols after the string of thefts began, Chief Jim Donnelly said last week.

Donnelly also advised people once again to get into the habit of locking their cars.

"The most important thing is, lock your car," Donnelly said then. "They’ll try 50 cars to get into one. If your car is locked, they’ll usually keep going."

In January 2012, a thief broke the back window of a Ford Expedition in a health club partking lot to steal two Coach bags that had been left in view. But most thefts from vehicles reported in the Doylestown area over the past year or so have been from unlocked cars.

Last week's story prompted an interesting discussion. A couple commenters lamented the fact that residents can't even leave their cars unlocked in their own driveways, while others said that "locking your car significantly lessens your chances of being a victim."

So we wanted to know what you think; do you lock your car as a matter of routine? Why, or why not? (Editor's note: if you don't, please don't mention what you drive, where you park, or any other identifying details if your screen name is your own name. The thieves are industrious enough as it is; I don't want to make it easier for them.)


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