After Rash Of Car Break-Ins, Cops Share Home Surveillance Video

GUILFORD, CT — In home security video, it's pretty clear how some car burglars and thieves operate: brazenly going right up into driveways and trying door handles. The ones that open, they rob. It's that simple. And apparently it's not at all uncommon for doors to be unlocked.

Police want that to change.

According to a press release from Guilford Police Sgt. Martina Sergeant Jakober, early Thursday morning, police began responding to a series of car burglaries to unlocked vehicles, and a stolen vehicle, at various locations around Guilford. Cars were entered overnight, but a number of residents gave police surveillance footage shows suspects on their properties between 2 and 3 a.m.. The areas that were targeted were Church Street, New England Road, Kim Court and Saw Mill Road.

"As with prior Guilford cases, the videos show the suspects running up to the vehicles in the driveways and trying the door handles of each car. If the vehicle doors are unsecured, the suspects enter the car and look for anything of value. If the vehicle is locked, the thieves move on in an effort to locate an unlocked car," Sgt. Jakober wrote.

She said, unlocked cars provide "easy targets for thieves as they can enter the vehicle quietly, often undetected by residents or neighbors, and take items from inside the vehicle in just a few seconds before moving on to the next unlocked vehicle."

Police are hoping that people will recognize that while "this type of crime happens everywhere, the best defense of your vehicle is to be on the offense and lock your cars."

Sgt. Jakober added: "It is also important to not leave keys, key fobs or items of value in your vehicles. With a little effort of consistently locking doors, we can prevent these property crimes from happening."

If you have information regarding these vehicle burglaries, please contact the Guilford Police at 203-453-8061 or the anonymous tip line 203-453-8240.