The City of Hillsboro, Ohio

Hillsboro​ ​Police​ ​Department​ ​Crime​ ​Prevention

Motor​ ​vehicle​ ​thefts

Thefts​ ​from​ ​vehicles​ ​are​ ​among​ ​the​ ​most​ ​recurring​ ​crimes​ ​we​ ​face.​ ​This​ ​type​ ​of crime​ ​can​ ​be​ ​prevented​ ​with​ ​little​ ​effort​ ​from​ ​the​ ​vehicle​ ​owner.​ ​For​ ​example:​ ​remove​ ​all visible​ ​items​ ​of​ ​value​ ​(​ ​such​ ​as​ ​GPS​ ​systems,​ ​laptops,​ ​cell​ ​phones,​ ​purses,​ ​wallets,​ ​and other​ ​electronic​ ​equipment)​ ​from​ ​your​ ​vehicle​ ​and​ ​make​ ​sure​ ​that​ ​the​ ​doors​ ​are​ ​locked. It​ ​takes​ ​just​ ​a​ ​few​ ​seconds​ ​to​ ​open​ ​a​ ​car​ ​door​ ​and​ ​grab​ ​a​ ​GPS​ ​system​ ​from​ ​the dashboard.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​are​ ​traveling​ ​make​ ​sure​ ​you​ ​remove​ ​the​ ​GPS​ ​from​ ​the​ ​dashboard​ ​and hide​ ​it​ ​inside​ ​the​ ​vehicle.

​If​ ​you​ ​have​ ​to​ ​hide​ ​items​ ​in​ ​the​ ​trunk​ ​make​ ​sure​ ​you​ ​do​ ​so​ ​before​ ​you​ ​reach​ ​your destination.​ ​Many​ ​times​ ​if​ ​someone​ ​sees​ ​you​ ​put​ ​something​ ​in​ ​the​ ​trunk​ ​they​ ​may​ ​wait for​ ​you​ ​to​ ​leave,​ ​break​ ​out​ ​your​ ​window,​ ​push​ ​the​ ​trunk​ ​release,​ ​and​ ​take​ ​the​ ​items​ ​out of​ ​the​ ​trunk.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​want​ ​to​ ​take​ ​your​ ​purse​ ​with​ ​you​ ​leave​ ​it​ ​at​ ​home.

​Never​ ​leave​ ​your​ ​keys​ ​in​ ​your​ ​vehicle,​ ​even​ ​if​ ​you​ ​will​ ​only​ ​be​ ​gone​ ​for​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​of minutes.​ ​If​ ​someone​ ​steals​ ​you​ ​vehicle​ ​with​ ​the​ ​keys​ ​in​ ​it,​ ​they​ ​may​ ​now​ ​have​ ​keys​ ​to your​ ​home​ ​if​ ​they​ ​are​ ​on​ ​the​ ​key​ ​ring.​ ​Not​ ​to​ ​mention​ ​it​ ​is​ ​illegal​ ​to​ ​leave​ ​your​ ​vehicle running​ ​and​ ​un-attended.

If​ ​someone​ ​does​ ​get​ ​into​ ​your​ ​vehicle​ ​don’t​ ​touch​ ​or​ ​disturb​ ​anything​ ​and​ ​call​ ​the​ ​police.