Reston Residents Continue To Leave Their Cars Unlocked, Despite Thefts: District Chief

RESTON, VA — Reston residents are perhaps a bit too trusting, based on their tendency to leave their car doors unlocked. And it's resulting in lots of thefts that the police have to follow up on, Fairfax County Police Reston District Station Chief Capt. Ron Manzo told Patch in a recent interview.

Manzo, who took over the district about two and a half years ago, said that thefts are neither up nor down, but it continues to be one of the biggest problems in the Reston area. He said people will simply open car doors and take change, GPS systems, or anything else of value left in view.

"Everything's been on the down trend as far as crime in general," but vehicle tamperings continue to be one of the two two complaints for the area along with speeding and other traffic issues, Manzo said.

"We put flyers out saying lock your car, lock your car, but people just don't lock their cars," he added. "People go in and they see an unlocked car. They're not breaking a window, they just open the door and take whatever's there."

The level of thefts has stayed consistent for a while now, although it tends to see an uptick around the holidays.

"It's just a crime of opportunity," he said. However, he added it's not necessarily unique to Reston or Herndon, pointing to a case in another nearby county where a 30-year-old man was walking around with his 6-year-old son just taking change out of cars.

"It just goes to show you it's happening everywhere," he said.

Image via Fairfax County Police Department