Rash Of Car Break Ins In Brookline: Video

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline Police are warning residents and visitors to keep valuables out of sight and lock their cars when parking for any amount of time in town - even if you're parking in your own driveway - after nearly a dozen unlocked cars were broken into on Friday.

So far this year there have been some 56 reported car break in, compared with only 31 by this same time last year.

Police have made several arrests this year in connection with car and home break ins. On Friday, a Gardner Road resident caught footage from a camera he put in his window facing his driveway of two men walking down the street. One walked up his driveway and tried the doors of his locked doors of his car and then disappeared from the camera and then walked down the driveway. The resident said it looked like he went to try the doors on the other car parked in the driveway before heading off again on Gardner Road, according to a police report.

Take a look at this map of near where cars were reported broken into on Friday:

What you can do to prevent your car from being broken into:

• Lock your car. Police say it over and over again. Most cars in Brookline that get broken into, are easy targets because they're left unlocked.
• Don't leave the little stuff: change, tape measures, toll readers, or random cool stuff visible. All of that is bait for a potential thief walking by.
• Don't leave the big stuff either: Never leave a purse or a bag in your car for more than a minute. It doesn't take long for someone to open your car door and snag a bag. If you must leave something, put it in the trunk. It takes longer to open and since it's not visible, it's not tempting to would-be thieves.
• If you don't have a car alarm, get one, or get a blinking light and affix it to your dashboard. Often a little deterrent like this goes a long way.
• Park in well light areas, or install a motion detector light near where you park. Thieves don't like light.