There were 12 theft from autos in the county on Monday. Please remember to remove valuables from an unattended vehicle.
- Park your car in a closed garage whenever you can. If you live in an apartment or have a house without a garage, this is often not an option. However, a garage works as a barrier that has to be bypassed, and thieves usually have a harder time getting your car elevated in a garage without alerting anyone in the house.
- Install a car alarm that includes sensors that attach to the wheels. The alarm detects when the car gets tilted, and the wheel sensors also detect when the wheels get tampered with.
- Park in an area with a lot of traffic when out in public. The more car and foot traffic going by where you park, the less likely thieves want to risk detection by stealing wheels or tires in that area. Park in view of surveillance cameras whenever possible.
- Turn your wheels when parking. This makes the wheels harder to remove because they get stuck in the wheel well. The car’s steering column lock makes it difficult for the thieves to turn the wheels forward again without a key in the ignition.
- Use wheel locks on each wheel, including your spare. The locks fit on each wheel and make the lug nuts extremely difficult to remove without a key. It’s important never to lose the key because you’ll need it if you ever get a flat tire. However, the locks greatly reduce your risk of losing your wheels and tires. Lug Nut locks are also useful since they require a specially sized wrench to remove. However, the lug nut locks can be melted quickly with a blowtorch to make them fit a regular wrench, so they are not as effective as wheel locks.