Prince William Police Offer Tips During Crime Prevention Month

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — As part of Crime Prevention Month, the Prince William County Police Department will be reminding residents throughout October to take steps to prevent crime in their communities.

Personal property, including purses, wallets, money and credit cards, work identification cards and badges, phones, tablets, and laptops are regularly reported stolen from vehicles, most of which were unlocked in driveways, open garages, and residential parking lots and streets, the police department said.

During October, the Prince William County Police Department is asking residents to pledge to take the following steps to help stop these types of crimes:

• Lock all entrances to garages. Close overhead garage doors at night, or if you are not using the garage for several hours. Open or unlocked garage doors provide quick, easy access to vehicles, other valuable items in garages such as bicycles and lawn equipment, and homes.
• Always lock vehicles, even when they are parked in a garage.
• Always lock all vehicles parked in driveways, parking lots or on the street overnight. Thieves can easily steal valuables left in cars and they can use garage-door openers found in unlocked cars to access garages and homes.
• Do not leave valuables in cars parked in driveways or garages overnight. Bring valuables inside your home with you.
• Secure items left in or on work vehicles, which are also frequent targets of thieves.
• If you are not able to garage your vehicle, consider installing a motion sensor light near where your vehicles are parked.