In summer of 2008, Kevin Reilly left the hatch on his 1999 Dodge Durango unlocked.
When he returned to his vehicle, he found that his iPod, radar detector, stereo and speakers had been stolen, worth about $600 total. It was the second time Reilly, the UF student body president, had been a victim of car burglary. He was just one of the hundreds of victims in 2008.
"I'm vigilant about it now," he said.
Sixty percent of the 1,400 burglaries in Gainesville last year involved cars, and many began with unlocked vehicles and rolled down windows, according to GPD.
While this is on par with the national average, Audrey Mazzuca, a GPD crime prevention officer, is hoping to drop the number of thefts through the "Lock It or Lose It" campaign, which is meant to raise student awareness on the issue.
Thieves have admitted to focusing on students as easy targets with high payout, according to Mazzuca.
Commonly stolen items include MP3 players, GPS systems, laptops, cell phones, purses and loose change.
"When people leave their loose change in plain view it gives thieves a reason to explore," she said. Recently, a thief stole only $3 in loose change from a vehicle.
GPD spokesman Keith Kameg believes that there is a connection between the poor economy, drug use and the increase of stolen change, he said.
"Most auto burglaries are the bottom-feeders of our criminals," he said.
GPD makes several recommendations to prevent theft beyond making sure to lock doors and roll up windows.
Park in well-lit areas, away from shrubbery, and don't park a small vehicle between two larger ones. Detachable stereo face plates should be removed and stored in a secure place.
"Loud stereos advertise your sound system to criminals," she said.
Those who use a sunshade should not back into parking spaces; it hides thieves from passers-by.
Mazzuca warns that burglars operate at all hours. "They are crimes of opportunity, during daytime or nighttime criminals will take advantage of it," she said.
Mazzuca has been coordinating the campaign with local media and businesses, but not everyone is cooperative.
"The apartment complexes want to create the illusion that everything is fine, when they are not," she said.
2009 Gainesville Car Burglary Data
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