According to the FBI, a car is stolen every 22 seconds in the U.S. and one is broken into at an even faster rate.

Tips to make your vehicle less attractive to a crook:

• Plan ahead when you are parking. Consider the traffic and how well-lighted the area is in which you plan to park. Better lighting and more potential witnesses mean its less likely your vehicle will be a target.

• Keep few or no valuables in your vehicle. Purses, CD's, and other goodies in view make your car look more valuable to a thief. If you have valuables in the car, hide them from view or in the trunk.

• Always lock your car and roll up the windows when you are leaving it unattended. This may sound obvious, but most vehicles are not actually "broken" into. They are left unlocked, creating an opportunity for a crook.

• Consider anti-theft devices that are deterrents like:

  • alarms
  • steering wheel locks
  • fuel cut-off switches

  If all other considerations are equal and your vehicle has one of these devices, it is less likely to be the one chosen to steal.

• Have your vehicle VIN etched as a deterrent. VIN etching is chemically etching your car's Vehicle Identification Number into each piece of glass on the vehicle. An auto thief is less likely to steal it because of the time and money involved in replacing the glass to remove the car's identity.

Cars are probably the single most popular target of crime for a variety of reasons:

• There is usually no face to face confrontation.
• They offer the likelihood of valuable property inside.
• They are just not that difficult to break into and steal.

Cars that are several years old are just as attractive as newer models because they can be stripped and sold for parts, making them worth several times their market value to the thief.

A car is one of the most expensive pieces of personal property you own. Even if you have good insurance, replacing it after a theft could be costly. It is worth taking these steps to protect it against being stolen or burglarized.

If you need more information, contact the Community Policing Unit at 913/895-6408.