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Officers: Locking up items thwarts thieves

By Wayne Grayson Staff Writer

Published: Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 11:50 p.m.

As temperatures warm and the time comes to dig out lawn-care equipment from its slumber in garages and sheds, local law enforcement officers are urging local residents to lock up those items when they’re done.

Lt. Kerry Card of the Northport Police Department said they see a lot of lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other yard equipment stolen from homes after being left outside in the open. He said simply storing these tools away can prevent most of these thefts.

While lawn-care equipment is a popular target of thieves in the spring and fall, electronics are always atop the list of items mos tstolen from homes and vehicles, authorities said. Portable items such as GPS navigation devices and MP3 players are in high demand among criminals.

Capt. Phil Simpson of the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said that thieves target items that appeal to young adults and teenagers, such as cell phones, iPods and stereo equipment.

When it comes to home burglaries and thefts, Simpson said the hot items right now are flat screen televisions. However, the old standards, such as jewelry and cash, are still targets for thieves.

“Anything that can be carried away easily, they’ll take,” he said.

Simpson said video game consoles, especially the Xbox 360, are another much-stolen item along with desktop computers.

Vehicle break-ins happen on a consistent basis, Simpson said, and criminals are looking to get in and get out quickly.

“Anything that looks like it may have something inside of it like a purse is a big target,” he said.

Card said most house burglaries and vehicle break-ins can be easily averted.

“So much of what we find are vehicles and homes that have been left unlocked,” he said. “Most of these are crimes of opportunity. The criminals are going to see what they can get and run.”

Card said the items his department sees stolen most often are MP3 players, followed closely by money left out in the open.

Sgt. Andy Norris of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said satellite radio receivers and laptops are also stolen often from vehicles.

Norris said that as the economy worsens, many criminals will be looking for an easy way to make money.

“Desperate people do desperate things,” he said. “Don’t make yourself and easy target.”

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