Six unlocked cars hit by thieves, say Le Roy Police

Unfortunately, there is a bad element moving into our otherwise quiet safe neighborhoods. Locking one's car seems like a pretty logical solution to theft. However, there is more to it than that. First, do not keep anything of value in your car. If you have no choice but to have it in your car then conceal it or put it in your trunk where no one can see it. In bad economic times, not even locking your car will keep someone from stealing something of value if it's in plain sight inside your vehicle. Then, not only will they have stolen your valuables but you will end up replacing a broken window too. Where I come from, your window will get busted out of your locked car for the change in your cup holder.

I'll second Debbie's remarks and add; if you lock your vechicle at night you may not be able to unlock it in the morning as the locks tend to freeze up overnite. just don't leave anything of value in your vehicle, period.

I third Debbie's remarks; as a former long time resident of the City of Rochester who used to also use the canal path and who has owned a soft top Jeep Wrangler for a few years...just don't leave anything of value in your car. Don't leave anything that might indicate you have something of value in your car. If it looks like you have something valuable in your car it unfortunately doesn't matter if your doors are locked.

I agree with the precautions of the posters. Coming from, San Diego, and thief-heaven Bakersfield, I know how wise it is to lock up your stuff.

But the issue also reminds me of the most flagrant, vulgar display of careless wealth I've ever witnessed. It was at Westlake Village Market in Thousand Oaks, CA, just over the hill from Malibu and Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley.

Behold! A brand,new convertible Rolls Royce with an ivory-leather interior, burl wood dashboard, and a gleaming white exterior. Unlocked, unhooded. It was, after all, Westlake Village, and if it suffered damage, the film producer had good coverage and no issue with replacing it.

That's of course world's away from most people's reality, including mine.

I would like to remind these criminals breaking into cars that a kid in Greece DIED because someone shot him while rummaging through cars. While I believe that is extreme, it has happened and a precedent has been set. I always try to keep an eye on my part of the neighborhood, and it may be helpful to do the same in yours.

Even living on what I think is a safe street, as there are cops, corrections officers and other law enforcement living on my street, I still keep an eye opened to mischief in my neighborhood.

I come from a big city and was surprised at the crime level here, so I looked it up

http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Batavia&state=NY

Crime is not that high here with the exception of theft. Petty Larceny has always been a problem here for as far back as I could find records. So it appears it was never "safe" to leave your house or car unlocked.
Crime might seem so bad to me because this is a small town the problems just seem worse because every thing is so close.

I agree that was my point, It just seems worse because you hear about it. The statistics say Batavia is overall about half the average crime rate for the country except for larceny.

Amazingly in the SF bay area and Chicago I never lived this close to an "alleged" meth lab. Crime is more personal in a small town

BTW in Chicago for a car break in the police would not even show up they would write a report over the phone.