CIRCLEVILLE – Police warn of warming up your cars in the morning dispite cold weather. Police say thieves are targeting cold mornings and looking for cars that are warming up to attempt to steal.
Last Year in Chillicothe and Circleville cars were stolen in the area when sitting idle with keys inside them. Several that been recovered after high speed chases with police Chillicothe, story here
In some areas its actually against city ordinances to leave vehicles unattended and running at a public location (on a public street, gas station, etc.) violates Grove City Ordinance 351.07.
“Vehicle thefts are often crimes of opportunity,” said Grove City police department, “The best way to avoid being a victim of car theft is to lock the doors, and don’t leave the vehicle running unattended.”
Ohio in 2018 according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ohio ranked 8 in the country of stolen cars at 19,909.
During winter, auto theft rises by about 25 percent, according to Alex Lauderdale, a transportation analyst at EducatedDriver.org.
“This occurs largely because winter nights are longer and darker, offering car thieves more time and cover to carry out large numbers of vehicle thefts,” Lauderdale told AccuWeather. “People are also more likely to leave their cars unattended on cold mornings while they let them warm up and defrost, offering thieves the perfect opportunity to strike.”
“Thieves know all about this wintertime practice, and they will drive around in groups throughout suburban neighborhoods looking for idling empty cars,” SO what do you do? According to police as crappy as it sounds. You should sit in your car, its much better to sit in your car while it warms up vs someone else sitting in it as they drive down the road warm. Maybe bring a warm cup of coffee to sip on while waiting?
