Attleboro Police Issue Alert After Car Thefts

ATTLEBORO, MA — Attleboro police this week issued an advisory after a string of car thefts across the city. In recent days, the thefts were concentrated on Lindsey Street, Richardson Avenue and the MBTA parking lot on South Main Street.

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"Many of these thefts are 'crimes of opportunity' and can often be avoided if simple preventative steps are taken," Attleboro police said in a statement. Police offered these tips to prevent thefts:

• "Don't leave valuables in your car. That sounds like "common sense", but drivers/passengers do leave items of value in plain view every day. If you leave valuable items visible in your car, your car is automatically a target. Thieves are targeting purses, wallets, laptops, and GPS units.
• If you must leave valuable items in your car while out and about, place items out of sight before reaching your destination. Someone may be watching when you put items under a seat or throw something over them.
• Never open a trunk, fill it full of valuables, close it, and then just walk away.
• Once home, unload your valuables immediately. Do not store valuables in your car any longer than necessary, and certainly never overnight.
• Leave no trace. Don't leave any "sign" that there might be valuables "out of sight" in your vehicle. Just leaving an empty docking station in plain sight, even if you've taken the high dollar component with you, may end up costing you hundreds of dollars to replace a broken window.
• Lock ALL your vehicle's doors even if you plan to be gone for only a brief time. It's not at all uncommon for thieves to walk down a row of parked cars to see if their doors are locked.
• As a last line of defense (not really to prevent theft as much as to aid in recovery), mark your valuables. Recording serial numbers is important in recovering them if stolen.
• A serial number doesn't directly link you to your stolen property. We'd suggest inscribing/engraving a personal identifier on all valuables. Don't use your social security number (identity theft) — use your driver's license (DL) number, prefaced by your DL "state". With that marking, any police officer can trace your valuable back to you, wherever it's recovered.
• What do you do if something is stolen out of your car? As soon as you notice something is stolen (or that your car has been broken into) do not touch/adjust anything in, on, or around the car. As soon as possible, call the police department to report the incident.
• Report suspicious activity. Don't hesitate to call APD to report ANY suspicious activities, persons or vehicles, especially during the overnight hours. APD officers cannot be everywhere, and we count on good people to be our "eyes and ears" and report suspicious activities as they are occurring.
• Do your part by taking preventive action and spreading the word. You can make a difference. Suspicious persons or activities in parking lots or anywhere in town should be reported immediately to the Attleboro Police by calling 9-1-1 or 508-222-1212."

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