news-record.com

RALEIGH (MCT) — When it comes to valuable electronic items that rest in the console of your car, sit on a seat in plain view or are attached by suction cups to the windshield, there is an important saying to keep in mind:

Keep your friends close and your beloved gadgets closer.

Vehicle break-ins to obtain pricey and popular auto electronics such as GPS systems and satellite radio receivers are on the rise in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. To prevent a smash-and-grab, police say it's important to keep these treasures out of sight.

The Raleigh Police Department has taken this prudent warning one step further. Officers recently started leaving "report cards" on windshields around town, warning owners to lock up valuables in plain sight of thieves or praising them for keeping their items hidden.

The $200 talking navigation systems are a quick steal for thieves because they are portable and often lightly mounted on top of a dashboard instead of firmly anchored in the car's console.

In Raleigh, stolen GPS units have led to an 80 percent overall increase in property stolen from cars citywide in the last year, police said. During the first six months of 2009, 556 GPS systems were taken from vehicles in Raleigh -- up from 325 during the same period in 2008, a 71 percent increase in this item alone.

"We have definitely seen a transition because so many portable units aren't attached to the vehicle and people can easily carry them away," said Scott Womack, a Raleigh Police Department crime prevention officer in the Northwest district.

Raleigh police are writing report cards to prevent future theft. The little yellow slips contain boxes for officers to fill in, classifying a vehicle as a hard or easy target for electronic theft.

"It's a message to remind people that things can happen because we all get forgetful," Womack said. "And it seems like many people are heeding our advice."

Womack says the thefts primarily take place during the night in the large parking areas of shopping centers, apartment complexes or businesses, and the items are later sold.

The most common way of stealing a GPS is by using a screwdriver to remove a window. Some thieves also use blunt objects to smash the windshield, Womack said.

"They look for the richest target of opportunity, and GPS systems are easy access," Womack said. "Why work twice as hard for something like a speaker or stereo that takes effort?"

While the only thing stolen from Anna Ennis' car last week was a stainless steel knife, she fears that her neighborhood, Hampton Oaks in Raleigh, is being targeted.

"We've had a string of break-ins in our neighborhood," she said. "It was only the cars that were left unlocked, though, so they didn't break any glass."

Zip it up and hide it

Everyone is encouraged to keep record of the serial numbers, makes and models of electronics in order to track them. Photographs should also be taken for identification purposes.

"GPS systems usually come with a serial number, so if the customer keeps track of the box, they can file it with the report and recover it that way," said John Soper, district manager of RadioShack for Raleigh.

Womack urges people to lock up all car valuables before exiting the car. GPS units should be taken off dashboards or windshields, and hidden. Soper suggests keeping the systems in carrying cases with non-slip bottom grips that rest on the dashboard.

"When you're done, you simply zip it up and stick it inside the glove box," he said.

Technology may help combat GPS thefts. Companies such as RadioShack hope eventually to market systems that can lock out intruders. According to Soper, a victim of theft might soon be able to call the company he purchased the system from and have a signal sent to the GPS that turns it off and locks out the thief. However, it could be a long time coming.

"It's not cost-effective at this point," Soper said. "That type of technology would bring the price [of GPS systems] up $200 or $300."

Even if a GPS is simply taken off the windshield, though, it still isn't safe in some cases. The brackets that hold the navigation tools leave suction marks on the glass that thieves could notice.

"Even if they see the ring on the windshield, they'll break into it because they know you have one inside your car," Soper said.

So Womack encourages people to wipe off the marks with a micro-fiber cloth. "Alcohol rub can get rid of it, but that's a pain to do every time you pop it off your window," Soper said.

Larger valuables such as laptops should be hidden in the trunk.

"The less people see, the less temptation there is," Womack said.