Police are urging residents to always lock their car doors as Lake Forest and surrounding areas are experiencing a wave of vehicle burglaries.
The Lake Forest Police Department said the city experienced a “wave of car burglaries” in the overnight hours from Thursday into Friday.
“We know many of you would like to know where, but the “where” isn’t important; it’s the “what” that matters. In this case, the “what” means locking your car if left outside overnight,” the department said.
At least 85% of all car burglaries are on unlocked car doors, the department added. “Yes, sometimes they smash and grab, but most of the time, the thieves try the door and move on.”
Authorities recommend that owners not leave anything in their car that they do not want to be stolen.
“Yes, if you leave a new Macbook Pro and a stack of cash on the front seat, your window will probably be smashed. So remove things you do not want stolen, including [key] fobs,” the department said.
“We can confidently say we have never had anyone report a snow brush taken in a car burglary,” the department jokingly said.
Police officials said these types of crimes tend to be very transient, moving from location to location without any pattern and never quickly returning to a recently targeted area.
“However, the one constant is unlocked doors with valuables left inside. Our best advice, assume it can happen anywhere doors are unlocked and always report suspicious activity,” police said.