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Burglars busy browsing unlocked cars

Laptops and even garage door openers are falling into the wrong hands.

By S.I. Rosenbaum, Times Staff Writer
Published February 15, 2008

RIVERVIEW 

Burglars have been roving developments in Riverview, snatching laptops and GPS units out of unlocked cars, said Hillsborough County sheriff's Sgt. Dorothy Flair.

What's worse, said Rivercrest Neighborhood Watch leader Lisa Dunn, burglars have also been stealing garage door openers from unlocked cars - and using them to get into homes later.

It's not a new problem. In fact, Flair said, it's as old as the subdivisions themselves.

Suburban residents can sometimes be lulled into a false sense of safety, Flair said.

Dunn agreed. "I know people want to trust where they live, but that's where the problem is," said Dunn, whose Rivercrest community isn't gated.

And the busy lives of suburbanites can mean no one is watching out for their neighbors.

"People are more private than they used to be," Flair said. "I think the fact is that people don't really know their neighbors. They're not going to recognize suspicious activity when they see it. They don't know who belongs in that driveway and who doesn't."

The current hot spots for home and vehicle burglary are in subdivisions along the U.S. 301 corridor, and in FishHawk Ranch, she said. While burglary rates fell somewhat in 2007, so far, in 2008, they've been on the rise again.

"We've made some headway," Flair said, "but the problem does persist."

Burglars come from both within and outside the communities, she said. While some steal to support a drug habit, others are simply looking for a thrill.

Flair said there are simple things residents can do to protect themselves and their property.

First and foremost, she said, lock your cars. Don't leave valuable property in plain sight. Burglars are looking for easy targets.

Dunn suggested that residents consider volunteering for a neighborhood patrol.

"If everybody's in bed at 10 p.m. and someone goes around robbing houses at 2 a.m., no one is going to see it," she said.

S.I. Rosenbaum can be reached at srosenbaum@sptimes.com or 661-2442.

[Last modified February 14, 2008, 22:26:26]