City of East Grand Rapids issued the following announcement on Nov. 14.
Did you know that locking your doors is the No. 1 deterrent of theft?
Since Oct. 18, a series of 16 larcenies from motor vehicles has occurred in our community. The Public Safety Department is currently investigating these incidents, which occurred south of Hall Street, east of Lennox Road, west of Ridgewood Avenue and north of Boston Street. The incidents are likely related, but a suspect has not yet been identified.
An important and very concerning fact, however, is that in all but one of those instances, the vehicles were completely unlocked, and in every instance, vehicles were parked in the owner’s driveway or on the street in front of or near their residence. Cash, loose change, purses, computers, glasses, credit cards, shoes and MP-3 players are among the items stolen.
Every year, we have a slew of larcenies with almost every single one taking place against an unlocked door. I cannot stress how important it is that everyone locks their doors. While our officers are conducting extra patrols in the targeted area, the bad habit of not locking homes, garages and vehicles is an ongoing problem in East Grand Rapids, which leaves countless valuable items unprotected.
You are your first line of defense – it takes a mere second to lock your door. This simple act can make all the difference. Prevention is key to safety and, though we pride ourselves on being a safe community, it is vital not to fall into a false sense of security. Crime can – and does – happen everywhere, but we cannot make it so easy for such offenses to occur.
I encourage residents to lock their vehicles and homes at all times and remove all valuable items, or at a minimum keep them out of view. Additionally, it is always best practice to note the serial numbers of your electronics, bikes, jewelry and other valuable items to help detectives track down stolen items through databases.
We must work together as a community to be on the lookout for any suspicious subjects who may be looking through cars. If you ever do witness larceny, please contact 911 immediately.
Anyone with information pertaining to these cases specifically is encouraged to contact Detective Sergeant Scott Kolster at skolster@eastgr.org or 616.949.7010 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of East Grand Rapids
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