NEW ORLEANS – The NOPD is reminding residents across the city, and especially Uptown, to always lock their car doors.
Of the 40 vehicles that were burglarized Uptown in October, 39 were left unlocked.
Eleven of the 22 vehicles stolen Uptown last month, 11 had keys left in the ignition, according to the NOPD.
Arrests have been made in many of those cases, but officers still want people to remember to always lock their vehicle’s doors and move any valuables left inside of the vehicle out of plain sight.
Some newer models also automatically unlock when the key fob is within a certain distance of the vehicle, so even if the doors were initially locked, they may not stay that way if the keys are stored too close to the parked vehicle.
The NOPD advises all vehicle owners to take the following precautionary steps to avoid theft:
- Lock the doors
- Close windows and sunroofs
- Don’t leave valuables such as laptops, cell phones, wallets, purses or GPS devices in plain view
- Put away the garage door opener and any items with personal information
- Move valuables to the trunk before reaching your destination
- Don’t leave any keys in the vehicle, including a valet key or a spare key for another vehicle that parks near yours in your garage, driveway, etc.
- Park in a well-lighted place whenever possible
- Use the emergency brake when parking to make it more difficult for a thief to tow your vehicle away.