Police urge precautions to prevent vehicle theft

July is National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month, and area law-enforcement agencies are encouraging people to protect their automobiles.

Nearly half of vehicle thefts in the U.S. can be attributed to driver error, according to transportation.gov.

"Here in Jackson, a lot of times what we hear is people simply just leaving the keys in the vehicle," Cpl. Rick Whitaker of the Jackson Police Department said. "Somebody comes along, door's open, they get in, and they go."

Jackson had 11 vehicle thefts in 2014, up from eight in 2013.

Whitaker said he thinks people leave keys in the car intentionally rather than forgetting to take them out of the ignition.

"That's how they've always done it. They have, I guess you could say, a false sense of security. That's what a lot of it is," he said. "I wish we could say Jackson's immune from crime ... but it's not."

Sgt. Adam Glueck said the Cape Girardeau Police Department sees the same thing.

"The majority of thefts of vehicles or thefts from vehicles, it's because the doors are unlocked, and the keys are left inside," Glueck said.

Cape Girardeau had 68 vehicle thefts in 2014 and 57 in 2013, according to the Cape Girardeau Police Department's annual report.

Glueck also recommended against leaving the car running.

"We do have people that leave the car running while they run in to the gas station or grocery store, and it's happened before where they come out and their vehicle is missing," Glueck said.

He added vehicle thefts also have happened when people leave their car running to warm up on cold winter mornings.

Glueck said vehicles in Cape Girardeau have been stolen from a variety of locations.

"As far as one place more than another one, I don't know what the numbers are," Glueck said. "I know it doesn't mean much to you if you're the person who's had your car stolen. You're not worried about the other places; you're worried about where it was stolen from you, and that's happened in driveways; it's happened in parking lots."

Occasionally, vehicles are stolen from car dealerships.

"It's happened before where some people will test-drive a vehicle and not bring it back," Glueck said. "I know some dealerships will let people even borrow the car overnight, and they don't return it. That's what some of those stolen-car reports are from."

Earlier this week, a person was test-driving a vehicle from Woody's Auto Sales in Jackson, parked it in the driveway of a Cape Girardeau home, and it was stolen.

"The door was unlocked, and the key was in the cupholder," Glueck said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says a vehicle is stolen every 44 seconds in the U.S. Tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reiterate what local officials say: Don't leave the car running, and don't leave keys or valuables in the vehicle.

"Even if you think you're going to be parked directly in front of the door to a business, it still doesn't mean your car can't be stolen," Glueck said. "It happens."

kwebster@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

Jackson, MO

Cape Girardeau, MO

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Protect your vehicle

• Close and lock all windows and doors when parking.
• Park in well-lit areas
• Never leave your vehicle while it*'s running
• Never leave keys or valuables in your vehicle
• Use audible and visible theft deterrent devices, such as an alarm with a horn or flashing lights and immobilizing devices

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration via transportation.gov