Car Prowlers are the Ultimate Window Shoppers
Jane Ames
Sam and PDOT (Portland Department of Transportation), are developing a partnership with the Police Bureau, Smart Park, ONI (the Office of Neighborhood Involvement), and Mayor Potter’s Office. We will be placing signs on the green parking pay stations in the downtown area, printing reminders on parking receipts, and creating signs for the Smart Park Garages. The Mayor’s office and the Police Bureau will also get signs up for the holiday season and place reminder brochures on vehicles.
Many, if not most, car prowl break-ins can be prevented. Take your valuables out of your vehicle, and car prowlers will notice and go on by. Some prowlers break into cars for loose change, others will break in for valuables you leave (gym bags, sunglasses, briefcases, cameras, cell phones, etc.), while others break in to take personal information for identity theft. Experienced car prowlers can break in, take your valuables, and be gone within 5 to10 seconds.
Portland Police Officer Jeff Myers encourages people to leave their vehicles, “showroom clean from stem to stern” and car prowlers will pass you by for easier pickings. It is easy to do, but harder to get in the habit of doing. Officer Myers has data that shows the effectiveness of the anti-car prowl project using signage and reminders. When people are reminded to remove valuables, they do. And when they remove valuables the rate of car prowls goes down, way down. He recorded the effects in Goose Hollow and later in the Pearl District.
Car prowls can and do happen anywhere. You can also avoid them anywhere. Remember: take your valuables with you. It’s a simple message, simple action, and effective crime prevention. We will be securing a sponsor for this project, so the city will build another partnership with the private sector and save taxpayer dollars. The signs will be made as soon as we have a sponsor. Our plan is to get the signs up during December for the winter holidays season.
Posted by Jane Ames on November 1, 2005
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Filed Under Downtown Portland, Public Safety, Transportation
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Mike,
You punctuate the point with your example. If nothing is left for thieves to steal, they will move on looking for the valuables, including items that provide identity (ATM receipts, mail and such). Car windows or broken locks cost vehicle owners a lot to fix. Leave nothing and you remove the motivation. Thanks for your wisdom. I will continue to lock my doors, but I am catching on and taking items of value out of my vehicles.
Once we know what our sign design will be, I will post it and show you. Thanks, Jane Ames
Posted by: Jane | Nov 2, 2005 9:25:19 PM
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I have lived in inner NE for about 30 years and witnesses 3 crinimal cycles on my street; prostitution (I live off MLK), cocain, and crack. My neighborhood has one of the lowest home ownership rates in the city and at least 35% of the housing stock is set aside for low, very low, and special needs housing. Car prowls have gone through the area in waves. I "solved" the problem for me by making sure nothing was in the car of value and just leaving it unlocked (fixing broken windows just so prowlers could see there wasn't anything to steal is very, very expensive). Most car prowlers are the same people, so pretty soon they learn not to waste time looking at any of my several cars. So much so, that I have forgotten my wallet many times and haven't had it stolen yet (just dumb luck). Other people on the street are still having their cars prowled, so I know this works.
Posted by: Mike Warwick | Nov 2, 2005 9:45:36 AM