Car break-ins have RI cops on alert

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A high number of car break-ins have police across Rhode Island on high alert as the holiday shopping season draws near.

A check with police across Rhode Island found a noticable jump in break-ins in10 cities and towns in the past few months. Now Target 12 has learned that some people could be making themselves easy targets for thieves.

The Growing Problem

They're called "crimes of opportunity." A thief finds an unlocked car, or sees valuables in plain sight on a dashboard or center console. And in just a matter of seconds, your belongings are gone.

"The window was all smashed in, there was glass everywhere all over the ground," said James Lawler, theft victim.

A smash in the night left Lawler with a rude awakening in the morning.

"Our GPS was stolen, phone charger, bags," he said.

His car window smashed, his possessions gone in the blink of an eye.

"It's devastating. Especially when you wake up to go to work and make an honest living," Lawler said.

Target 12 has learned, this Woonsocket resident isn't alone. We found 10 communities across Rhode Island that have seen a noticable increase in car break-ins since the end of summer.

"It's a trend that we've noticed in the past few months," said Captain David Sonita, North Providence Police.

Sonita said the break-ins became such a problem, the department had to conduct special patrols across the town. Those sweeps soon paid off. Officers arrested a pair of teens charged with stealing more than $3,000 worth of goods from cars overnight.

"We found numerous amounts of iPODS, GPS's, stereo equipment," Sonita said.

Don't be a Victim

Those pricey electronics will be found in even more cars as the holiday shopping season approaches.

So what can you do to protect your valuables? Target 12 checked with the experts, who said the first step is to prevent your car from being an easy target.

"What's most alarming is a lot of them are unlocked. And people are keeping valuable things in there... pocketbooks and laptops," said Lt. Eugene Jalette, Woonsockett Police.

It sounds simple, but police say the best defense is to:

• Lock your car, even if you're parked in your driveway or running into a store.
• Park in well-lit areas whenever possible.
• Remember to take your valuables with you, or if you can't, be sure to hide them in the trunk where a thief can't see an easy score.

Target 12 has also learned that most of these break-ins happen overnight, when cars are parked in driveways. Police stress that the vast mojority of thefts are from unlocked cars, and remind people to lock their doors even if they feel they're parked in a safe area.