Never Leave Your Running Vehicle Unattended
Never Leave Your Running Vehicle Unattended
Since November 1st, Longmont has had 34 reported auto thefts, 6 of those auto thefts have been “puffers” which amounts to approximately 17% (3 were stolen from private property, 3 were stolen from a public street). A “puffer” is any vehicle that has been left running and unattended.
Some citizens will tell us that they leave their cars running, but they lock the doors. Bad guys don’t care if a vehicle is locked, they’ll gladly break a window if it means getting warm and that it provides access to transportation that could be used repeatedly (because now they have your keys for your vehicle and likely other valuable keys). Additionally, professional auto thieves have tools which will allow them to enter an unlocked vehicle in less than 2 seconds.
We often have residents who state, “I have a remote start and if someone gets into the car and tries to drive away, it will die.” True. State law, however, does not address remote start features. It does say that vehicles are not to be left running and unattended on a public street.
The 2015 year end statistics accumulated by ATICC show auto theft was up 28.9% across the state of Colorado (Longmont was up 1% for the year).
What can the public do?
• Never leave your car running unattended.
• Always lock your car.
• Never leave any keys in the car, even a spare set.
• Never leave valuables in plain sight.
• Always park in well-lit, high-traffic areas.
• Get windows, doors and fenders etched with the VIN.
• Consider installing a tracking and recovery device.
• Check out www.lockdownyourcar.org for more prevention tips, local statistics and a Hot Spot map with geo-locator tool allowing users to search auto theft in their area.
Coloradans Against Auto Theft (CAAT), in partnership with Colorado Auto Theft Investigators (CATI), unite for 2016’s “Puffer Week,” held Jan. 24-30. The statewide educational and enforcement week aims to inform the public about the risks, dangers and most recently, heightened crime associated with auto theft, specifically “puffer cars” – vehicles left running unattended with the telltale puff of the exhaust. Auto theft is often the first step in committing other, more serious crimes.
