Culprits suspected of breaking into dozens of vehicles in two separate counties have been arrested, police said Thursday. But even more crimes could be avoided if vehicle owners followed two simple rules.
Lock your doors. And don't leave valuables where they can be seen. Cell phones, GPS devices, cameras and I-Pods are easy to grab when left in plain sight, police said.
"By volume, entering autos is our No. 1 crime," Sgt. Dana Pierce with Cobb County police told the AJC. "Here in Cobb, it's often a crime of opportunity. It's not always big-time thieves doing this."
For some jurisdictions, vehicle break-ins increase when school is out and young people have more time on their hands, Pierce said.
"We go through this cycle every summer," Pierce said.
Decatur police arrested a man accused of entering at least 37 vehicles during a weeklong crime spree in May. Seth Shammah Ben Israel, 21, of Stone Mountain, admitted to police he was responsible for the break-ins which occurred overnight in various neighborhoods, Deputy Chief Keith Lee told Channel 2 Action News.
Israel allegedly targeted items such as money, credit cards, GPS systems and cell phones, Lee said. Investigators linked Israel to numerous pawn activity and believe he may be responsible for more crimes in Atlanta and DeKalb County.
In Barrow County, a group of juveniles admitted to police they were responsible for between 30 and 40 vehicle break-ins, but had only stolen items from about 20 cars, Winder police Officer Chris Cooper said. Michael Deshawn Cooper, 29, Charles Lamar Moore, 37, and Tiffany Roseanna Worley, 23, were also arrested in connection with the break-ins, Cooper said.
Investigators believe the group could be responsible for similar crimes in neighboring areas, Cooper said.
In some areas, the number of vehicle break-ins has decreased, police said. In Gwinnett County, the number of break-ins has decreased by nearly a third compared with this time last year, Cpl. Jake Smith told the AJC. And in Atlanta, the number of vehicle larcenies has dropped by 14 percent over the past 28 days in Zone 5, which includes downtown and Midtown, Major Christopher Leighty said.
"That’s great news, but we know it’s a constant struggle," Leighty said in a statement. "We also know that [the public has] a direct role in helping us reduce vehicle larcenies. Remember to never leave anything of value in your car and always lock your windows and doors."
Keeping items out of sight can help would-be criminals from breaking into vehicles, Pierce said. If you have valuables in your car, consider putting them in your trunk.
"The old adage is ‘out of sight, out of mind,'" Pierce said.
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