Ask the Expert

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette car break in illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette car break in illustration.

With the holidays approaching, I worry about crimes involving my vehicle and at my home. What are some ways I can help protect myself from theft?

"The two largest categories of property crime that we face citywide are auto burglaries [someone getting into your car and taking things] and residential burglaries," says Lt. Scott Timmons with the Little Rock Police Department's Northwest special assignments division.

When it comes to auto burglaries, Timmons says the best form of prevention is to be proactive.

He says that the vast majority (more than 90 percent) of the auto burglaries reported to the Little Rock Police Department involve someone getting into the car during the night while it's parked, usually at the owner's home. And most of those cars aren't locked.

"We interview every person we arrest for breaking or entering [the criminal charge for auto burglary] and that's what they tell us," Timmons says. "They work their way through a neighborhood or an apartment complex, usually with several of their friends, and they try all the doors on all the cars. When they find one unlocked, they get in and search it thoroughly, looking for things they can sell for money or drugs," he says. Highly prized items include purses, checkbooks, laptops, cellphones and firearms.

"Occasionally they find keys to the car or a key fob," says Timmons, adding that in more than half of the cars that are stolen, it's because the keys were left in them.

"Leaving a spare set of keys in the car is asking for someone to take it and use it in a crime, or wreck it, leaving you with the bill," he says.

Timmons says the police have learned -- through interviewing suspects -- that when a window is broken to get into a vehicle, it's because the suspect sees or thinks he sees something he wants badly, like a purse.

"A way to greatly reduce the chances of your car being broken into and your items stolen or the car itself being stolen is to not leave anything in the passenger compartment to tempt the bad guys. Then when you

lock your doors, there's no reason for them to break in," Timmons says. He also advises vehicle owners to keep all the keys to their vehicles in their house.

Timmons tells homeowners not to leave their garage door opener in their cars, particularly if they don't lock the vehicle, as that gives the criminals an easy way into the home, adding that a lot of homeowners leave the door from their kitchens to their garages unlocked. He also asks that they not leave firearms in their cars.

When it comes to residential burglaries, Timmons says during a recent drive through a couple of west Little Rock neighborhoods, he counted more than 40 houses that either had the garage door open and unattended or the garage door had been left up 6 to 8 inches, presumably so the homeowner's cat could come and go.

"Burglars come in all sizes and many can slip through that gap," he says. "Even if [the kitchen door is locked], the burglar now has a quiet place to force open that door, unobserved. Plus, how many of us have tools in the garage to make his job easier?" Timmons asks.

Another great crime deterrent is observant neighbors.

"The best burglar alarm in the world is a nosy neighbor," he says. "A neighbor who knows you are at work, those people don't belong at your house, and is willing to call the police right now is worth their weight in gold," he says. "In these times, it pays to know your neighbor and for them to know you and watch out for you. That's a good reason for a block party or neighborhood barbecue."

With the arrival of colder weather, Timmons offers a final word of advice -- avoid the temptation to start vehicles to warm, then leaving them unattended.

"When you do that you are asking a thief to hop in your car and take it as his own," he cautions. "It happens every year, particularly during the first couple of cold snaps."

-- Linda S. Haymes

Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:

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HomeStyle on 11/28/2015

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