“These won’t apply to me. These don’t happen in my neighborhood!”
Sadly, the four scenarios that will be discussed in this article happen everywhere in Olmsted County. In the rich neighborhoods, downtown, while making that quick run to Target, anywhere. These are common situations taken right from daily experiences from the Rochester Police Department and Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.
#1 Leaving Vehicles Unlocked Overnight
Seems a bit obvious, but this happens … a lot! The common scenario is a thief will just pick a neighborhood, any neighborhood, and walk down the street … looking in car windows and trying door handles. If there is something plainly visible and of value in a car, they will even resort to breaking out windows to steal it.
Make sure you don’t leave valuable items in plain sight, such as:
- iPods
- GPS units
- Any amount of cash
- Purse or wallet
A law enforcement officer told us,
“… there are probably 30 to 40 cases of theft from vehicles each week on average. They don’t happen in just certain neighborhoods, thieves can and do target anywhere in the city. With some easy preventative measures, people could help avoid this unfortunate situation.”
#2 Purse in a Shopping Cart
Of course we all know not to leave things, such as purses, unattended. But, there has been a rash of thefts from purses, even when the purse is in the one side of a cart, and the owner of the purse is unloading items onto the cashiers table on the opposite side. All a thief needs is 10 seconds to pop open the snap, take out your ID and credit cards, and they’ll be off.
Anywhere there is a lot of people, you should definitely keep your purse or wallet in a safe spot right next to you. Not only might you lose a few bucks in cash, but once your ID card is taken, then you’re at risk for identity theft, and then it takes your hard earned time and money to fix those problems.
#3 Movie Theater Parking
Are you planning on going to see a movie? (I’d recommend watching the Dark Knight again, re-released on the big screen. Terrific movie!) If you are, remember this … park close to the front, and park under a streetlight! Especially if you’re going to a late show, thieves have been targeting movie theater parking lots as places to go look for iPods, GPS units, etc, and smashing windows to get them.
At one theater in Rochester, I heard of six windows broken in the span of one evening. Typically they were the cars in the back of the lot, and in dark areas where they couldn’t easily be seen. Take the extra minute to find that good spot, it will pay off!
#4 Items in Coats on Public Coat Racks
This hasn’t been a huge problem in the past, but a recent rash of thefts from coats has put this issue on our list. Something as innocent as someone putting their jacket on the coat tree at, for example, a hair cutting business, then leaving it unattended, has resulted in a thief fishing out car keys from the pockets. Then, they go to the parking lot, find your car, and steal whatever is inside. There is even the potential they will take the car itself, if they are so motivated.
If you do leave your coat on a rack, at least take a moment to put your valuable items, especially car keys, into your pockets to prevent such a circumstance. You can’t be too careful!
Tip: If something looks suspicious, don’t wait to call law enforcement!
Especially if you see someone you don’t know wondering down your neighborhood street. If they are trying car doors, looking in windows, or just look like they’re up to no good, call law enforcement right away so that they can check out the situation. If you wait too long before calling, they will be gone, and perhaps with your neighbors (or your) valuables.
