How to Keep Thieves Out of Your Car: Deputies Offer Advice

Summer’s here and that means auto burglaries are likely to rise in Westchase and beyond.

That’s why the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is putting a focus on prevention. Through its new online series, “Spotlight,” deputies provide residents with tips they can use to minimize their chances of becoming victims. The new series features crime prevention information and will run every other week. It joins “Inside HCSO” on the sheriff’s offices list of regular offerings.

Want to avoid becoming a target? The No. 1 tip, according to Lt. Susan Bradford is “lock your doors.”

“If you’re going to leave your vehicle unlocked, don’t leave items of value in your vehicle,” she said.

In the new video, Bradford explains that kids often employ a practice called “car hopping.” This means they move from vehicle to vehicle looking for an easy target – an unlocked door.

Once they find it, “They take loose change; they’ll take anything of value. A lot of times there are guns taken out of vehicles, which really worries us,” she said.

Find out what other advice Bradford has to offer by checking out the video.

Keep up with what's happening at the sheriff's office by checking out its YouTube channel.

See Also:

• Sheriff’s Office: Get an Inside Look at Crime Fighting
• Sheriff’s Office Heats Up Cold Cases Online

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