Public Notice In Regards To Thefts From Vehicles

Location: Kent County, Delaware

Date of Occurrence: Friday, October 9th – Thursday, 15th, 2009

Suspect(s): Unknown at the present time

Resume: Thefts from personal vehicles has become a nightly routine for unknown suspect(s) throughout the Kent County area. In just a few days, between Friday, October 9th and Thursday, October 15th, there were at least 41 incidents of theft from vehicles.

The Delaware State Police hopes that educating the public and increasing awareness will aid in locating the suspect(s) responsible for this trend while decreasing the number of potential victims.

The suspect(s) are targeting individuals who have left their car doors unlocked with personal items in plain view inside the vehicle. Most of the incidents occur during nighttime hours. The suspect(s) are believed to be driving to an area, in some cases neighborhoods, parking their vehicles nearby and then going throughout the entire area on foot.

The Delaware State Police hopes citizens will consider the following theft prevention techniques:

Lock all the doors of the vehicle, regardless if vehicle is parked on the street, driveway or in a garage.
Remove all the valuables from within the vehicle, especially the ones in plain view (this includes loose change from center consoles).
Never leave your vehicle running unattended.
Use anti-theft devises or alarms.
Turn on exterior lights and insure the lights are working properly.

The Delaware State Police urges individuals who may observe a parked vehicle within the vicinity or person(s) that seems suspicious to obtain as much information as possible such as a description, vehicle registration and to promptly call 911.

Anyone with information related to these thefts are urged to contact Delaware State Police Troop 3 at (302) 697-4454 x 312 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.