Annual Police Report

Yesterday in the afternoon session, Chief Will Johnson gave his annual police report.  The overall result of the report was that crime in the city of Arlington is down 1%.  This is great news for the city as a whole, but if we dissect the numbers you will notice that crime in North Arlington is up 6%.  This is due to two things, in my opinion.  Car burglaries and robberies.  We have one individual that has caused over 20 robberies all by himself.  The police have received a break in this case and are very hopeful at this point, but the perp is still at large. 

As for the car burglaries, I will repost some suggestions that I hope that you will observe, so that you won't be the next victim:

1. Take your keys with you.
2. Lock your car.
3. Park in attended lots if possible.
4. Completely close your car doors.
5. Take your valuables with you or hide them.
6. If you take your items out of the car and place them in the trunk, be advised that burglars might be watching you do this.
7. Park in your garage if possible, and lock your garage and the vehicle inside the garage.
8. Replace any T shaped lock handles with straight locks.
9. Engrave your driver's license number on any expensive accessories.  Engravers cost less than $10.
10. If possible install visible alarm systems.
11. Utilize wheel locks/lugs.
12. When possible avoid parking between large vehicles.  They provide cover criminals.
13. Remove detachable radio faceplates when able.

Many times you can observe suspicious behavior.  If you see any of the following behavior please dial 911 and report it to a dispatcher:

• Pulling door handles
• Looking in windows
• Odd clothing for the time of year (long coats or gloves being worn in summer)
• Lookouts
• Nervous looking behavior (constantly looking around, rapid movements)
• Checking for alarms by bumping windows or bumpers for sensitivity.

Each time I get out of my truck, I am very careful to note that I lock it up and that my IPad nor cell phone is in view from the outside.  I hope that you take these simple precautions to heart and we can reduce the number of car burglaries in North Arlington.