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Both rural and city property owners are being hit hard by car burglars, and there’s a strong possibility it’s the same group of thieves, said Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator.
Since the end of March, Caddo deputies have investigated at least five separate occurrences where multiple vehicles were entered during night-time hours. Similar reports have been made in Shreveport, Blanchard, and smaller incorporated areas.
Caddo detectives say in the cases they’ve investigated, up to five suspects have been documented entering driveways and checking for unlocked car doors, usually after midnight. The day of the week has not been specific. While about half of the reported victims found nothing missing, only their vehicles ransacked, the other half lost various items including a total of 13 firearms, two laptop computers, one electronic tablet, assorted tools, bank cards, purses, wallets, hunting equipment and cash. The estimated loss is about $11,900. In addition to what was stolen from vehicles, two cars with their keys left in them were also stolen. The vehicles had a total value of $32,000.
On Tuesday, May 5, a homeowner's security camera captured these photos of two suspects entering vehicles in the 1000 block of Winchester Drive in north Shreveport.
Sheriff Prator advised citizens to follow some simple steps to protect their property.
1) Lock your car doors.
2) Do not leave items of any value in your car overnight. If necessary, store the items in your trunk or at least out of sight.
3) Park as close to any security lighting as possible. If you don’t have lighting, consider installing it for overall home security.
4) Never leave your keys in the car.
5) Storing unsecured firearms in unattended vehicles is NEVER a good idea.
6) Garage door remote controls should not be left inside cars that are parked outside. A thief can immediately use or steal the remote and return at any time to gain entry into the residence.
7) Know your neighbors and watch out for suspicious activity and people in the neighborhood.
9) Be vigilant, and report any unusual occurrences to your local law enforcement agency.
10) If you discover your home or car has been burglarized, contact law enforcement and do not disturb anything. Valuable physical evidence, fingerprints and/or DNA is often left behind by thieves.
11) As always, maintain serial numbers and photographs of valuables. Affix unique identifying numbers on items when no serial number exists.
If you have information that could help identify the suspects in this investigation, contact Detective Matt Purgerson at 681-0700.
