FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

POLICE SEEK ASSISTANCE IN PREVENTING STOLEN VEHICLES

The Newport News Police Department is seeking assistance in its attempts to reduce the number of stolen vehicles.

The Newport News Police Department is seeking assistance in its attempts to reduce the number of stolen vehicles. Through December 5, 2010, Newport News has experienced 404 reports of stolen cars this year. A large number of these reports involve cases of the keys being left in the ignition or elsewhere in the car or the car being left unattended with the engine running.

The Newport News Police Department is asking for the media’s assistance in imploring the community to refrain from leaving vehicles unattended with the engine running and to remember to remove their keys and lock the doors when leaving their cars and trucks.

With the onset of colder weather the temptation to “warm up the car” or to “quickly dash” into a location for “just a moment” while leaving the car running is even greater. The community needs to understand that it takes a thief only a few seconds to get into the car and drive off, even if the doors are locked. Thieves will not hesitate to break a window to gain entry and drive off with the car. “Warming up the car” or “dashing in” makes for an extremely easy opportunity to become the victim of a stolen vehicle.

In addition to increasing the chances of it being stolen, opportunities for a thief to steal valuables from a parked vehicle are drastically increased when the doors are left unlocked. With the holiday season upon us, it is even more likely these types of larcenies will occur.

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