CHECK THE KCPD CAR THEFT SAFETY GUIDE: "IF I WERE A THIEF . . ."

Credit where it's due . . . Recently, The Downtown Council released an interesting guide from the KCPD hoping to prevent theft from motor vehicles . . .

Here's the money line:

"If I were a thief . . . I could break into your car and steal your property in the same amount of time it takes you to read this sentence."

Actually, it's a pretty good guide considering that Downtown Kansas City remains filthy with hobo car break-ins . . .

Check some safety tips for Kansas City drivers after the jump . . . And no, the half dozen people riding the Downtown Toy Train won't help solve this problem . . .


IMPORTANT TIPS

Always lock your vehicle with the windows rolled up.
The harder it is for a thief to get into your car, the more likely he will move on to the next car.  Almost half the thefts from inside motor vehicles involve a vehicle being left unlocked.

Don’t leave anything of value inside the vehicle in plain sight.
This includes cell phones, laptops, radios, briefcases, purses, packages,  GPS devices, and other valuables such as loose change.  Thieves will cause hundreds of dollars of damage to your car to steal a few cents left in a  cup holder. Device mounting brackets and chargers  left in plain sight indicate to thieves that valuables may be hidden somewhere inside the car. Valuables should not be left in your car period, but obviously should not be in view.

Don’t leave your vehicle unoccupied with keys in it.
Don’t do this even for a moment.  Why make it that easy for a criminal to drive off with your car? This is especially true at convenience stores or with children in the car.

If you have an anti‐theft device for your vehicle...use it!
If you have a car alarm, set it.  If you have a steering wheel “club,” lock it in place correctly.

Make sure the license plates on your car are properly secured.
Make it difficult to remove your plate by securing it tightly.  When your year sticker is in place, run a razor across it several times to make it more difficult to remove in one piece.

At night, park in well lighted areas.
Not only will this deter thieves from stealing your car, but you will also be safer when you return to your vehicle.

Report all incidents as quickly as possible to the police.
If you don't report a crime, the Police Department won’t know there is a problem. And always make a theft or damage report for your losses. To view recent crimes and where reports were made, visit www.kcpd.org and click on Crime Mappring. Theft of Vehicle, Theft‐TFA (from auto), and Theft‐ACC (attached to)
are vehicle‐related crimes on the map
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