Published: November 12, 2008 09:44 pm      

Car break-ins rise over holiday season

Take extra care to keep valuables out of sight in car

By Bob Belcher

Daily Sun



The holiday season brings about parties, trips, shopping and the like — and can also bring about an increase in thefts from automobiles filled with packages, purses and wallets.

Corsicana Police received seven such reports of automobile break-ins over the past weekend, including three at the I.O.O.F. Park on Saturday. Two of the break-ins were reported on the 45th Street side of the park, the other in the parking lot along West Highway 22. Purses were taken in all three of the park break-ins, according to police reports.

Captain Kenneth Kirkwood of the Corsicana Police said these kind of “smash and grab” break-ins are hard to catch, but can possibly be prevented.

“The best thing people can do is to make sure they don’t leave anything of value in their car,” Kirkwood advised. “If you do have to leave valuables in your car, put them in the trunk where they can’t be seen.”

Valuables such as purses and wallets, which often contain cash and credit cards, are prime targets for car thieves, he said.

“(Thieves) are looking for things of value when breaking into cars. If they don’t see anything, they may move on to the next one.”

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Bob Belcher may be reached via e-mail at belcher@corsicanadailysun.com