Although thefts from cars are common, there are ways to prevent it

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By LAURA SCHREIER / Lincoln Journal Star

As crimes go, it earns more shrugs than horrified gasps.

But if you’re the one who returns to your car to find valuables missing and maybe a smashed window —and thousands of people in Lincoln do every year — it makes for some serious headaches and nagging worry.

In 2006, an average of about eight Lincolnites a day reported thefts from unattended cars.

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In more than 3,000 incidents last year, residents lost $1,068,976 in property and damage, said Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady. And that’s an improvement over previous years.

Locked car doors are better than unlocked and it’s smarter to keep valuables hidden, but even careful people aren’t immune.

Shirley Prochazka’s car was parked in her driveway and was unlocked for about 50 minutes. That’s all it took for a would-be thief to do more than $600 worth of damage recently.

At first Prochazka, a 66-year-old Lincoln grandmother, didn’t know why her Toyota Camry’s stereo was  askew. Then came her mechanic’s diagnosis: Someone had tried to pry it out.

“In my own driveway, in the middle of the day? I just didn’t think ...,” she said.

Nearly every day’s stack of incident reports at the Lincoln Police Department contains a story of purses, stereos, CDs pilfered or almost pilfered from vehicles.  

Police catch some of the thieves, Casady said, but suspects often are cited, put on probation or sentenced to a little time, then put back on the streets before police even finish paperwork on the arrest. Sometimes a thief will hit even more cars after being arrested because now he or she has to pay attorney fees and fines.

“Your average citizen thinks that if someone is arrested for a crime, they stop committing that crime,” Casady said. “Wrong.”

The best possible defense is to prevent the theft in the first place.

Thefts from vehicles take place all over the city, but Casady said incidents often spike in relatively concentrated areas, with thieves returning to neighborhoods that seem to be easy targets.

Cars in high-density neighborhoods with on-street parking or large apartment lots are the likeliest targets, as well as those parked at swimming pools or trail heads.

A thief keeping watch around the MoPac Trail, for example, can be pretty sure that people who park to go for a jog are likely to leave wallets or purses in their cars, Casady said. All the thief has to do is wait until no one’s around, smash a window and take off.

“Your credit card has been used before you’re even done with your run,” Casady said.

What’s worse, thieves often take house keys along with purses and wallets, he said, and that can make for some sleepless nights.

When police notice an increase in thefts from vehicles in a given area, Casady said, they’ll keep a close eye on the apartment lot or neighborhood, talk to residents and make themselves more visible.

That kind of old-fashioned policing is the best tool the department has, he said, and usually thefts die down after officers start paying attention to a hot spot.

Casady himself has had belongings stolen from his car — twice. While there’s no way to completely defend your vehicle, many Lincolnites fail to do the easy stuff to pre-vent theft.

“I’m still amazed by the people who don’t lock their doors,” he said.

Prochazka, who lives near 33rd and Loveland, said she usually keeps her door locked, even though she hadn’t thought there was anything valuable in her car. She was surprised a thief would go for her unremarkable stereo.

“Fortunately I didn’t leave the keys in there,” she said.

Reach Laura Schreier at 473-7306 or citydesk@journalstar.com.