The Coppell Police Department recently reported a spate of vehicle burglaries that occurred in September, with a total count of eight incidents. According to their Facebook page, the majority of these thefts—seven out of eight—took place under the cover of night, and spread throughout different residential areas. In one of the nighttime burglaries, a firearm was reportedly stolen from an unlocked vehicle.
The outlier incident, which happened during daylight, involved a lawn crew whose equipment was swiped from their truck. What these crimes have in common, as the police highlighted, is that they happened to vehicles left unlocked. "The odds are pretty good that a bad guy tests the door handle and if they find it locked, they move on to the next vehicle," the Coppell Police Department said on the social media post.
In response to the recent thefts, the police remind vehicle owners of the simple but crucial steps to deter potential thefts: lock your vehicles and remove valuables to reduce the risk of becoming a target. They've encapsulated this advice in the mantra: LOCK, TAKE, HIDE. This maxim serves as a reminder to take the basic precautions to protect one's belongings.
While addressing these incidents, the department also extended an invitation to the community to participate in the 41st National Night Out, an event aimed at fostering police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer. This community-building campaign provides a chance to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. The department hopes that events like this will better educate the public on the importance of basic safety measures, like locking up their cars and securing their valuables.
