Leaving Car Doors Unlocked?

[Tiffany Johnson]

Merry Christmas and a-Happy Happy Joy Joy! I am concerned about a recent social media "movement" by some of my neighbors who advocate leaving their car doors unlocked. This came after a string of car break-ins where thieves smashed windows or ripped doors apart, which cost more money in repair bills than the value of whatever they stole (if anything). The neighbors argue that by leaving their doors unlocked, thieves can just get in and get out with minimal damage to the car (and to the owners' wallet). This offended every fiber of my soul, but when I spoke up about it, one neighbor responded that her police officer boyfriend was the one who strongly advised her to leave the doors open. Now this tactic is picking up steam, with neighbors thumping their chests like, "Yeah, they went through my center console last night but didn't get anything, ha ha ha, I win" (as my eyeballs pop out and my WTF meter explodes). My instincts (not to mention all the things I've learned in training) tell me that the more we facilitate criminal conduct, the more crime we'll see. But I'd like to offer more concrete evidence if possible. Does anyone have a study, or a reliable article, or even anecdotal data that I could share with my neighbors on this topic? Any LEOs care to chime in? I'm working on a website and blog for my neighborhood watch, so the info I gather might turn into a blog post as well. Thanks in advance for the input, and happy holidays, everyone!

Tiff :-)

[Chuck Haggard]

In my personal observation the biggest factor for cars being broken into is leaving things in plain sight.

In many cases the bad guys will not even check the door. I have no idea how many car break-in victims I have talked to that were complaining that they had left the car doors unlocked and the bad guy had broken the windows anyway.

If someone is hitting cars in the hopes there is spare change in the console, then I can profile that there is a homeless dude, probably mentally ill to some extent, working the area over.

[scw2]

Not to derail, but wondering if the thieves are targeting all cars or if there is something that's visible that is leading them to smash and see what's inside. I could understand entertaining that idea if they're going down the street and smashing 100% of the windows indiscriminately, but I suspect that there are things that may make certain cars targets.

Edit: Chuck beat me to it.

[Tiffany Johnson]

Not to derail, but wondering if the thieves are targeting all cars or if there is something that's visible that is leading them to smash and see what's inside

Leaving things in plain sight is another thing I keep warning them about. The recent incidents have been a mixture of both. One guy left his laptop in the back and was shocked when he returned to find only broken glass strewn across the seat. Others left things like backpacks and parcel boxes. But then others (same street) had nothing in view and still got hit. All within roughly a two-week span.

[LSP552]

In my personal observation the biggest factor for cars being broken into is leaving things in plain sight.

In many cases the bad guys will not even check the door. I have no idea how many car break-in victims I have talked to that were complaining that they had left the car doors unlocked and the bad guy had broken the windows anyway.

If someone is hitting cars in the hopes there is spare change in the console, then I can profile that there is a homeless dude, probably mentally ill to some extent, working the area over.

I'd agree with Chuck, except add juveniles to the break into cars for the change category. Never leave anything in plain sight and bring your guns in every night. Locked car doors are like an alarm, a deterrent.

[GJM]

Different, but related thought.

In a FOF scenario I was in at Gunsite back in October, there was a bad guy hiding in the back of a minivan, causing havoc to all that entered. Worrying about the safety of you property (car windows and valuables) ought to be balanced against what I view is the more serious concern, the safety of you. Seems like leaving the vehicle unlocked makes it a lot easier for someone to access your vehicle and be in there when you arrive.

[Dagga Boy]

Same boyfriend cop who likely hands out the "if you shoot them outside, drag the body in the house" advice. Sometimes, you need to let folks learn the hard way and if the choose a victim lifestyle...great. Harden your stuff and the crooks will figure out that it is easier to work over your neighbors who have submitted. Pretty soon when they figure out they are leaving the car doors open, the green light will go on that they will likely not resist if they chose to actually rob the house, or wait in the backseat for them. Sometimes Pro Choice can be being a victim.

[LOKNLOD]

Different, but related thought.

In a FOF scenario I was in at Gunsite back in October, there was a bad guy hiding in the back of a minivan, causing havoc to all that entered. Worrying about the safety of you property (car windows and valuables) ought to be balanced against what I view is the more serious concern, the safety of you. Seems like leaving the vehicle unlocked makes it a lot easier for someone to access your vehicle and be in there when you arrive.

Fear of turning "burglary victim" into "carjacking, rape, murderdeathkill at remote location victim" might be enough to turn some folks off the idea.


You can always put up a sign in your yard saying "my car is empty, but my neighbors leave theirs unlocked!"

[ranger]

I cannot remember the year, but I remember an organized car burglary ring that targeted a big shotgun shoot (San Antonio maybe?) that hit the hotels and restaurants near the shotgun event and got multiple $$$$$ shotguns. It was all the rage on the competition shotgun forums for a awhile.......

[Lon]

In my jurisdiction we're getting hammered with heroin junkies and juveniles walking up and down the streets checking car doors to find doors that are unlocked. They are largely ignoring locked cars but unlocked cars are sure to be rummage through and anything of value taken. Probably 99% of those types of thefts do not involve breaking into cars just checking for unlocked doors.

I would say it's hard to come up with a clear-cut answer to your question. A lot of it depends on the specific location and suspects doing these thefts. I'd suggest you and your friends invest in a game camera and set it up outside to get pictures of the suspects. We've had good success with that.