Police: Leave keys in car, become ‘sitting duck’
To date, 2021 has seen a 60 percent jump in stolen cars when compared to this time last year, when 20 vehicles had been stolen by mid-September.
NEW CANAAN — All 32 of the cars stolen in town this year were a result of keys being left inside, according to the police chief.
Noting this, chief Leon Krolikowski said Wednesday that he wants to enact new ways to persuade residents to lock their car doors.
Another commonality between the thefts is that not a single window was broken to enter the vehicle, according to Krolikowski.
Car thieves “don’t want the noise” of breaking windows, as “they don’t want to smash them, they don’t want to wake you up. They want go in, grab your car, have fun with it, commit more crimes and not get caught,” State Attorney Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk Paul J. Ferencek told the police commission on Sept 15.
Car thieves no longer know how to steal cars unless they are unlocked, because of new technology, Ferencek told the commission.
To date, 2021 has seen a 60 percent jump in stolen cars when compared to this time last year, when 20 vehicles had been stolen by mid-September.
“If you leave your keys in the car, you are a sitting duck,” Ferencek said.
To prevent the problem from happening in the first place, the town needs to continue to stress that vehicle owners should lock their cars and remove key fobs from their vehicles at night, the officials said.
The police chief has been trying to get the word out to residents about this for some time.
“We are frustrated, like everyone is,” Krolikoski said. “We are doing our best to try to figure out what we can do better.”
He said he uses notices on social media and in local news outlets to warn residents of the consequences, but does not think the efforts are helping.
Krolikowski is considering further tactics, such as yard signs. A marketing specialist has contacted him and said she will send him a draft of a 30-day marketing plan.
But a “simple solution” is for residents to “just be realistic. Don’t be naive. Just lock your car door,” Ferencek said.
A victim may leave a purse in the car with “hundreds of dollars in there. I think it’s their naivete,” and people assume “it is not going to happen to me,” Ferencek added.
People should realize if they live in suburbs such as New Canaan or Westport, they are not “immune from this kind of activity,” according to Ferencek.
It may even be the reverse, according to the state attorney, noting that “the kids know these are where the expensive cars are, so these towns are targeted.”
He was adamant and sincere in his parting advice for “a public campaign to lock the cars.”