The following was printed in the Nov. 28, 2012 edition of the McKinleyville. You can get the paper delivered fresh to your home every Wednesday by clicking here and subscribing.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a significant increase in reported vehicle burglaries early last week in the McKinleyville area.
The Sheriff’s Office received 12 reports of cars entered and items stolen on Nov. 20, and at least four additional vehicles were reported burglarized on Nov. 21 so far. There are no suspects at this time.
The thieves are stealing various items from vehicles, including car stereos, car stereo parts, garage door openers and loose items. Many times the suspect(s) gain access through an unlocked door.
Do not leave valuables in your vehicle, lock your vehicles doors, park your car in garage if available; do not leave a garage door opener in your car. Do not leave gifts or any valuables in plain sight in your vehicle; lock them in the trunk. Report any suspicious activity to the Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency.
Don’t leave things visible through the window of the vehicle. A friend of mine had his car broken into because he had empty boxes in the back seat. Thieves assumed that the boxes contained something.
I’ve been printing such advice for more than 16 years. But four years ago I stupidly decided not to heed the warning. I parked my car on the side of the road with a backpack in full view. 20 minutes later I returned to discover my window smashed and my backpack stolen. The total loss was about $800, when you consider the window, camera, etc. But, hey, I saved about $5 by not paying the parking fee at Patrick’s Point State Park, so it wasn’t a total loss.