Photo: local10.com
Police don’t tire of warning car owners to always lock their car doors, even when they park in what they consider a safe space, like their driveway. Still, the message doesn’t always get through.
For drivers in Cooper City, Florida, there’s still hope car thieves will steer clear of them, thanks to Broward County Deputy George Wentland. He’s personally trying to prevent vehicle burglaries by checking every car he comes across himself.
Speaking to Local 10, Wentland stresses that about 80 percent of all car burglaries happen because the owners forgot to lock the doors. A simple gesture of locking a car could save a lot of trouble, and Wentland wants to be proactive about fighting crime.
Every time he does his rounds, when he’s not answering emergency calls, he walks by people’s homes and checks every door on their vehicle. When he finds one that is unlocked, he actually takes the time to ring the door and inform the owner of their oversight. How’s this for going beyond the call of duty?
“We've had issues here in the past,” the deputy says for the media outlet. “You leave your car unlocked, the likelihood of car burglary very good. Eighty percent of our burglaries are caused by people not locking their doors in their cars. So it's not people smashing though a window. It's a crime of opportunity.”
Though checking car doors is not something you often hear cops do as part of their daily rounds, Wentland doesn’t see it as something extraordinary. Prevention always beats fighting crime, and he is doing whatever he can to leave a mark. “This is my community and I want it to be safe. And I don't want people's cars broken into,” he says for the news station.
That said, remember: lock your car doors tonight and don’t leave valuables in sight.
Speaking to Local 10, Wentland stresses that about 80 percent of all car burglaries happen because the owners forgot to lock the doors. A simple gesture of locking a car could save a lot of trouble, and Wentland wants to be proactive about fighting crime.
Every time he does his rounds, when he’s not answering emergency calls, he walks by people’s homes and checks every door on their vehicle. When he finds one that is unlocked, he actually takes the time to ring the door and inform the owner of their oversight. How’s this for going beyond the call of duty?
“We've had issues here in the past,” the deputy says for the media outlet. “You leave your car unlocked, the likelihood of car burglary very good. Eighty percent of our burglaries are caused by people not locking their doors in their cars. So it's not people smashing though a window. It's a crime of opportunity.”
Though checking car doors is not something you often hear cops do as part of their daily rounds, Wentland doesn’t see it as something extraordinary. Prevention always beats fighting crime, and he is doing whatever he can to leave a mark. “This is my community and I want it to be safe. And I don't want people's cars broken into,” he says for the news station.
That said, remember: lock your car doors tonight and don’t leave valuables in sight.
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