Report Cites Nearly 200 Vehicle Burglaries, Thefts in Southington

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Nearly 200 vehicles were either burglarized or stolen in town since the beginning of the year, a report released Wednesday by the Southington Police Department indicates.

The report compiled incidents between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13.

It shows 143 motor vehicle burglaries took place in town during that period.

It also shows that 37 vehicles were stolen during that period.

Vehicle burglaries and thefts are one of the most common crimes that usually occur at night, according to the report.

The report concludes that vehicle burglaries and vehicle thefts are crimes of “opportunity," meaning when a vehicle is unlocked or when valuables are left in a car or truck, thieves will more likely strike. Leaving valuable records, wallets and purses in vehicles can lead to identity theft, the report says.

The report indicates that 85 percent of the vehicles burglarized in Southington were not locked when the crime occurred.

Fingerprints and other evidence are harder to obtain from vehicle burglaries due to the nature of the surfaces such as cloth fabrics or textured material used on the dash, according to the report.

The report also made suggestions to residents:

• Lock vehicle doors and close vehicle windows
• Remove keys from the vehicle
• Remove all personal items such as cell phones purses, laptop computers, cash and items from plain view
• Remove any portable devices such as GPS systems and DVD players
• Remove garage door openers from vehicles when parking in a driveway or on a street
• If items need to stay in the vehicle, place them in the trunk out of plain view
• If vehicles have alarm systems, use them
• Keep an exterior light on during the night time hours and consider installing motion activated lighting
• Residents seeing or hearing anything suspicious call the police immediately

"If it looks out of place, call the police," the report concludes.

Patch File Photo