How nice of them to provide this community service!
Recently, to unnamed suspects were caught on numerous home surveillance cameras checking to see if the car doors in a particular subdivision in Fruita, Colorado were locked. As we keep pointing out, car thefts have been on the rise throughout 2020 pretty much everywhere, and the problem is getting worse. This latest incident, which fortunately didn’t end with a vehicle being taken, helps highlight the problem.
Last night, a little after midnight, two suspects were checking to see if people were leaving their doors unlocked in the Orchard Valley Subdivision. If you have any information on who these two are please contact the Fruita Police Department at (970) 242-6707. This is an excellent reminder to LOCK YOUR DOORS and not to keep valuables in unsecured vehicles. Don't be a victim of opportunity. - Video #1 - Video #2, #3 and #4 in comments.
Posted by Fruita Police Department on Sunday, September 27, 2020
Several videos were posted to Facebook by the Fruita Police Department. In them, you can see two men walking around the neighborhood, trying car doors to see if any would open. It’s a problem police say has always been present in the community.
Criminals often go for low-hanging fruit. Call it laziness or being opportunistic, many will do what these two did and just see which cars are left unlocked. The risk of getting caught when you’re not picking locks, setting off alarms, or making other noises is lower.
Police post these videos on Facebook to solicit the public’s help. Sometimes suspects are identified and that can lead to arrests.
Just like in other parts of the world, Fruita has seen an increase in car thefts and break-ins during the COVID-19 lockdowns. As vehicles sit longer periods of time without being used and people are desperate for money as they lose income, the combination has spiked crime.
There’s an easy way to prevent this kind of crime: lock your car doors. That seems like such an easy, silly thing, but it’s crazy how many people don’t do that. Recently, a family in the Chicago area had their Camaro stolen from inside the garage because they didn’t lock a Jeep in the driveway, which had a garage door opener remote sitting inside. Had they taken the extra moment to lock the Jeep’s doors, they might not have lost the muscle car.
Source: The Daily Sentinel
