Target 12 Crimetracker: GPS Thefts

(WPRI) - Easy targets, easy money! With GPS thefts on the rise, we decided to dig deeper. Target 12 Crimetracker spent months sifting through local police reports and there are hundreds where cars were targeted because of global positioning systems.

Now, were telling you how to keep your GPS equipment from being snagged too.

Almost all local police departments have the same story- GPS equipment gone in a flash.

Hailee Souliere, GPS theft victim: "I went to put my key in my door and my entire drivers side window was shattered!"

Hailee Souliere's was taken from a movie theater parking lot in Lincoln and it's in Lincoln where Target 12 Crimetracker learned hers is one of 25 units stolen- all from cars, and many in the mall area from last July through this past February.

But they're not all taken from parking lots. Lyle Lohse's was taken from his driveway!

Lyle Lohse, GPS theft victim: "I come out in the morning to go to work and unlock the car, sit in the seat, and I looked up to set the GPS and it was gone!"

These sometimes small and portable - but always pricey - devices are making big money on the black market.

Sgt. Bill Nebus, East Providence Police Department: "Basically because it's cash. These things are selling for about $200 to $700 in the stores, yet on the street they can get a quick $25 to $100 and its currency for them."

Sgt. Bill Nebus from the East Providence Police Department says they're sold at pawn shops or even online and they're being stolen all over the place.

Take Warwick, where our in-depth research found 115 units taken from cars over seven months. And in Providence, police Lieutenant Mary Day says the math is simple.

Lt. Mary Day, Providence Police Department: The more people that have GPS, the more that are getting stolen.

In fact, in Providence they're using fake systems in unmarked cars to catch crooks and it's netting results.

Lt. Mary Day, Providence Police Department: It's already quieted down a little bit in our area because they don't know what's real and what's not. The word gets out. They talk to each other out there.

Our exclusive break down shows thefts in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts between January of 2007 and this past February:

72 in Cranston, most in retail and business areas. 96 in Fall River and 9 in Coventry - almost all in hotel parking lots. All units taken thanks to thieves who break windows, jimmy the locks, or just open an unlocked door.

Seekonk Police report 24 GPS thefts over seven months, and one just happened. Photos and surveillance video show a well-dressed suspect taking the unit when the driver of the getaway car gets spooked and takes off.

Sgt. Todd Boisvert, Woonsocket Police Department: "I think people mistakenly make it easy for a criminal to grab them out of a vehicle."

Sergeant Todd Boisvert from Woonsocket says he knows why people taken them. But what can you do to protect yours?

First of all, take the unit with you. If you cant, never leave it out in the open. You should hide it in the car, including the power cord. But the police reports we found show cars will still be targeted if the GPS is hidden, because of the suction mark on the window. That's why you should wipe it off.

Police everywhere say the suction mark is a dead-ringer for a thief who will know there's quick cash to be made- at your expense.

Hailee Souliere: "I haven't had the money to buy a new one yet, but when I do it will be really small so that I can put it in my purse and leave with it."

As for getting them back when they're stolen, you have pretty much one shot. You have to record the serial number of the device- and police can then cross reference the number with any units they recover. Other than that, youre pretty much out of luck!