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Police: Car burglars bold, but beatable

Authorities offer advice in the wake of a number of break-ins, not necessarily related.

By CASEY CORA
Published August 16, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - Late Saturday night, 18 vehicles were broken into in Venetian Isles.

The thieves swiped a gun from one car and may have used it to fire at stop signs.

Across town on Sunday afternoon, four cars were burglarized in broad daylight while parishioners worshiped at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church on 37th Street S.

Police said the two incidents are likely unrelated, which they say is the nature of automobile burglaries - largely random crimes committed by random individuals or groups at any given location where groups of cars are parked.

Suspects can range from career criminals to wily teenagers, said Maj. Reggie Oliver, who oversees crimes against property for the St. Petersburg police department.

"There's no cookie cut pattern," he said of a "typical" car burglar.

Oliver recalled a recent case where a 10-year-old boy was caught breaking into cars.

Thieves also don't discriminate geographically.

"It doesn't matter what part of the city," he added.

Auto break-ins typically occur wherever large numbers of vehicles are sitting unattended for an extended period of time, like malls, grocery stores and even churches, Oliver said.

But a string of smash-and-grabs in a neighborhood is just as likely.

"It's a crime of opportunity," Oliver said.

Sgt. Robbie Clyman, who works with the police auto theft division, said thieves will check door handles at random until they find one that is unlocked.

In some instances, she said, they will use tools to pop open the locks or smash windows to get the goods.

Clyman said there were 335 vehicle burglaries in the city in July, slightly lower than the 348 incidents reported in July of last year.

While most burglars aren't looking to steal your car, they are looking inside it.

Cell phones, CDs, money, radar detectors, jewelry, navigations systems - nearly anything of value - is more likely to be stolen if left in plain view.

"It never ceases to amaze me how trusting people are," said police spokesman George Kajtsa. "You name it, they'll take it."

While it is hard to predict where the next rash of break-ins will occur, police offer diligent, if not common sense, advice: hide your valuables, roll up your windows, and lock your car when you aren't in it.

"Even if you're just running into the store," Oliver said.

In an effort to combat vehicle thefts and break-ins, police will utilize unmanned "dummy" cars in high-crime areas to deter potential thieves, said Officer Tania Nave, coordinator of the department's volunteer road patrol.

Police were reluctant to discuss alternative investigative techniques, such as the use of police-planted bait cars designed to catch would-be burglars in the act.

Spokesman Bill Proffitt said that the department had once talked about using bait cars, but have yet to try the method.

Complete prevention of break-ins may be impossible, but police said that taking those simple steps can plummet the number of automobile break-ins.

"It's the most preventable crime in America," said Proffitt said.

Casey Cora can be reached at 727 580-1542 or at ccora@sptimes.com.

Auto Theft Prevention Tips:

- Take your keys: Sounds simple, but many vehicles are stolen because the owners leave the keys inside. Same goes for locking your car.

- Park in well-lighted areas.

- Don't leave valuables in plain view.

- Mark your vehicle. Drop business cards, address labels, or other identification inside vehicle doors. Car thieves usually alter vehicle identification numbers. By marking your vehicle as much as possible, you assist police in identifying your car.

- Consider crime deterrent gadgets, such as an ignition kill switch, alarm or a steering wheel lock.

Source: Auto-Theft.info, a Web site that has discussions, statistics and other information about auto thefts nationwide.

BREAKING IT DOWN

Between July 31 and Aug. 5, St. Petersburg's Police Department received 103 complaints in reference to auto theft/burglaries in areas south and west of downtown. The map shows the hot spots for the week, with the number of complaints in bold.

[Last modified August 15, 2006, 21:36:51]