GPS device thefts on the rise
Lock up your car doors if you want to keep your GPS devices out of the hands of thieves, police say.
A spike in the number of such thefts has become quite apparent to officers logging thefts of stolen global positioning system devices that retail from $200 to $1,000.
Mount Prospect has experienced a more than 40 percent increase since last year, said Mount Prospect police officer Bill Roscop.
From January to August of last year, there were 110 GPS thefts, he said. This year, during the same time, there were 197.
Other towns have seen an increase this summer.
In the first two weeks of May, Schaumburg police logged 21 reports of stolen GPS devices. Parking lots for apartments, hotels and shopping centers are popular prowling ground, said Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl.
In the Arlington Heights police blotter released Tuesday, the number of GPS thefts accounted for more than a third of the entries.
Roscop said thieves are so keen to take these devices, it's not enough to take them down from their holders, which are usually suction cupped to the windshield.
Most thieves are just teens who prey on people in their own neighborhood, people who've left their cars unlocked, Roscop said.
But others thieves are more sophisticated, trolling suburban streets and parking lots throughout the suburbs, looking specifically to take these electronic devices. A locked car door will not detour these thieves, who'll smash the window to get what they want, he said.
And taking them off the holder, placing them under the seat isn't enough. Once thieves see the holders affixed to the windshield, they assume a GPS is under the seat.
But taking the holder down doesn't guarantee safety. Thieves also look for the suction cup marks where the holders have previously been. Once spotted, the device is believed to be inside the car and thieves break in, so it's important to wipe down the window, in order to leave no trace, Roscop said.
Police also suggest not leaving any devices in the glove compartment or under the seat set since smash-and-grab thieves look there first.