10 Car Break-Ins in a Night

By COLlive reporter

Close to 3,000 people are expected to be spending the coming days in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn for the annual International Kinus Hashluchim set to begin this Wednesday.

Guests are being advised to keep their vehicles safe.

The 71st Precinct of the New York Police Department has notified COLlive.com that there has been a recent rise in break-ins to all types of cars in the area.

Though the NYPD does not track car break-ins specifically, burglaries in general are up in the 71st Precinct this year over last, wrote DNAinfo reporter Rachel Holliday Smith.

In 2015, the precinct has seen 170 reported burglaries so far, up 16.4 percent over the 146 burglaries reported in the same time period in 2014, according to the most recently available department statistics.

DNAinfo reported that police are investigating 10 burglary reports that happened Sunday night into Monday morning around the intersection of Parkside and Nostrand avenues.

“We would like to remind all who park in the area to secure their vehicles,” Detective Vincent Martinos said, and asked the public to review the following useful tips to prevent theft.

1. Remember to lock your car doors and completely close all windows.

2. Keep the inside of your vehicle clean, just the sight of an empty shopping bag may catch the attention of a thief.

3. Don’t leave valuables in your vehicle, such as cellphones, chargers wallets/purses, credit cards, loose change, laptops etc. including in your trunk area.

5. Have an anti theft device, such as alarm system, locking device on steering wheel, NYPD auto theft prevention sticker. These devices may deter a criminal.

6. When parking overnight, park in a well-light area.

7. Do not attempt to hide valuables after you have already parked your vehicle (transferring a GPS into the glove compartment or a pocketbook into the trunk).

8. If you see any person and/or vehicle on your block for an extended amount of time with no apparent purpose, call the 9-1-1 to make a report. Please make note of any important information, such as vehicle descriptions or license plate.

Any any more information, contact Police Officer Schmidt at (718)735-0528.