DEARBORN — In an effort to reduce thefts from cars this summer and beyond, the Police Department once again has launched a campaign to remind residents: If you don’t lock your car, you’re making it a target for crime.
This will be the second year for this community awareness program.
The city experiences an average of nearly 700 larcenies from vehicles per year. Of those, almost 75 percent of those thefts were from unlocked cars.
Some communities have seen a decrease in these thefts after teaching people about increased chance of theft from unlocked cars. The “Lock It or Lose It” program promotes easy tips for residents to follow to make sure items are not stolen from their cars:
• Don’t leave valuables in an unattended vehicle.
• If that’s not possible, lock the materials in the trunk of the car, or at least place them out of clear view.
• Always lock unattended vehicles.
• Notify police of any suspicious activity by calling the Police Non-Emergency Tip Line at 313-943-3030.
“Dearborn residents must not become easy targets,” Police Chief Ronald Haddad said. “Working together with the ‘Lock It or Lose It’ program, we can eliminate many of these crimes.”
Haddad stressed that residents should always keep their eyes open and report anything suspicious.
“Be good neighbors and look out for each other,” he said.
The summer months see an increase in thefts from vehicles. As such, “Lock It or Lose It” billboards and advertisements on local media and social media will share this message with the Dearborn area through Labor Day.