Cold weather coupled with some residents’ false sense of
security is making it easier for thieves to steal cars in the early
morning when drivers are warming up their vehicles, according to
police.
Hollister – Cold weather coupled with some residents’ false sense of security is making it easier for thieves to steal cars in the early morning when drivers are warming up their vehicles, according to police.
A rise in car thefts has the Hollister Police Department warning that a careless attitude can leave people without a set of wheels to speak of. Nearly 60 percent of all car thefts so far this year are from motorists leaving their keys in their car either when driving around town or warming up their car in the morning, said Hollister police spokesman George Ramirez.
“When you come out, you want to have a car to get into,” he said. “We’re asking people to use caution – don’t leave your keys in the car or leave your vehicle running.”
In the last two months alone 16 cars have been stolen, and 10 of those thefts could have been avoided if owners hadn’t left their car running or unattended with the keys inside, Ramirez said. The thefts have happened throughout the city and thieves seem to be targeting cars of all makes and models.
“It hasn’t just been isolated to one area of Hollister,” Ramirez said. “The only thing they have in common is that the keys were in the car.”
In one incident, a man left his car running in the 7-11 parking lot, he said.
“The guy came out just in time to see his car driving away,” Ramirez said. “It can take only a matter of seconds.”
Besides not wanting to sit in a chilly car in the early mornings, many residents foster a false sense of security due to Hollister’s small size and relatively low crime rate. But statistics don’t lie, and that feeling of comfort is exactly what helps drive the car theft rate up, according to police.
And while some of the stolen cars have been recovered, Ramirez did not know exactly how many.
“Some we find with little damage, some with no damage, and some are not found at all,” Ramirez said. “But if we could have avoided those 10 preventable thefts, that would be a significant overall reduction.”
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
