[Mr. Bojangles]

I had my Sig Sauer P220 stolen from my pickup from in front of my house last Monday night. I did not realize it until the morning. The jerk(s) broke in, took the gun out of the locked glovebox, left the holster and two spare magazines on the seat (not sure why). They did not take anything else.

I reported it to the Sheriff, as we live just outside of city limits. The Deputy who responded was very promot and professional, and recommended that I go in person with the police report to the local gun shops and pawn shops. I also plan on calling some of the shops in other towns that are about 1- 1 1/2 hours away.

I was wondering if it would also be a good idea to take out an ad in the local paper or nickel ads (our local free for-sale newspaper). I am willing to offer a reward of $500 for it.

I would also appreciate any other suggestions/tips/pointers. I do have the serial number for this firearm. If any of you in Southease Washington have any information please PM me.

[cyclopsshooter]

bo, i work at the trading company in ellensburg. pm me the serial number

we get a lot of state wide thru traffic

sorry about the loss

[nathan]

I bought a cheap Norinco 54 -1 pistol and thats my truck gun. I got it for $ 200. So if worse comes to worse one steal s it, it would be not much. And i hope if the thief steals it dont know the controls he shoots himself. Good ending.!

[nwilliams]

I'm sorry about your loss but thinking your gun is a little naive and a lot of people make the mistake of thinking it's secure that way. Even a locked glovebox is not going to keep a determined thief away from your gun, most glovebox locks are weak to say the least and even an armature thief can force them open in no time. Also if you leave your holster and mags on the car seat you may as well be baiting thieves.

If you plan on leaving your gun in the car then take steps to keep it secure, they make fairly decent vehicle gun safes that bolt to the floor, it may not be enough to stop the most determined of thieves but it's more secure than a locked glovebox.

Hope you get you gun back!

[garymc]

If I read it correctly, the thief left the stuff on the seat, not the owner.

[armoredman]

Criminals rarely if ever use a holster, and they don't need extra mags, not for robberies where they usually don't try to start a shootout. Shoot the gun dry and ditch it, steal another.

[franconialocal]

You may want to consider who "knows" you kept your weapon in there. It sounds like they knew exactly what they were going for. You mentioned the glove box was locked.....but what about the vehicle?? You said they "broke in"......how?? Break the window? Jimmy the lock??

Sorry for the trouble. I'm sure the Sheriff will list the serial no. in NCIC so make sure he gets it.

[jakk280rem]

maybe post a description here. its a local site for pac west shooters. also might keep an eye on the classifieds.

http://www.northwestfirearms.com/forum/index.php

[doc2rn]

Sounds like an inside job.

[Mr. Bojangles]

Many of you feel that this was an inside job. I only moved to this area about 8 months ago, and like many of you who cc, I don't advertise it. There are three guys from work whom I shoot with, and aside from my spouse and a few people who live where I moved from (about two hours away), no one else knows I carry. Two of the guys I work with were at work that night, and the third is a reliable family man who I am convinced would not steal it. The others in my hometown have no idea of my schedule or that I would leave the firearm in the glovebox (I rarely do, and chose a poor time to do so).

I should add that about one month ago there were a couple of cars that were broken in to two streets over.

I also do not routinely store the firearm in the glove box. The gun, holster, and magazines were all locked in the glove box out of view. There was nothing visible to let the intruder know there was a firearm in the vehicle. As far as leaving the firearm in the vehicle I know this was very foolish. The door was "jimmied" as indicated by scratches around the window felts and the glove box was pried open, possibly with a screwdiver.

I think it is likely they were after the stereo and after discovering their "treasure" they forgot about the stereo and left.

Thank-you all for your replies. I am still considering the idea of listing the firearm as stolen in classified ads with a $500 reward. I would like your input as to whether or not you think this is a good idea and if you have any other advice.

[danbrew]

A $500 reward is pretty hefty. While $500 is less than what it would cost to get you a new one, not that much less. You don't mention which Sig, but figure a brand new one goes for between $650-1000 across the entire Sig model line. While I'd be pissed about having it stolen, I'm not sure I'd want it back if I had to pay 50-80% of the price of a new one. And that goes without saying that you can find excellent deals on used models.

I get that part of your motivation in offering the reward is that you want to see justice and see the person that nabbed it convicted. Sadly, prosecutors simply aren't going to think this is much of a big deal, and unless it was Charles Manson that stole your gun, they probably aren't going to be too interested in spending a whole lot of effort punishing the guy. If you were to find him. And he still had the gun. Or if he were to make incriminating statements talking about what amounts to a smash and grab kind of thing.

My $0.02.

[cornman]

Is it legal to keep a firearm in your vehicle in every state?

[Ex-MA Hole]

I disagree, I have a J-Frame that I'd offer a similar reward for. I know this gun, I know it works and I have a lot of rounds through it.

Given the option to trade this one for a new one, I'd have to pass.

[VeggieH]

Must be a common feeling among us New Hampshireites,I have a old 1911 that is a member of my family(my gramps carried it in WWII),and I know what it cost back then.But I would offer $500 if stolen,no problem.......can't put a price on a family member.

[DHJenkins]

This is why I keep a cheap gun in my truck and have a car alarm; I have some really nice guns, which I would prefer to keep in my truck, but I don't for this exact reason.

Just like "Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to destroy", I have a "do not store anything in your vehicle you are not willing to lose" rule.

Sorry for your loss. Hopefully it gets found!

[SavageManAntonio]

I guess This may seem harsh but this type of irresponsible action is exactly how many criminals get guns. This is also why many people think that by banning guns the criminals will not be able to get them. I live in a state where your guns must be unloaded and locked-up when they are not in your immediate vicinity. If less people did things such as locking your guns in a glovebox there would be less theft and less harassment from anti-gun people. I am sorry for your loss but even more sorry for the rest of us whom also have to suffer the consequences.

[THE DARK KNIGHT]

Don't worry, I'm sure the criminal(s) will turn it in for a gift card at the next gun buy-back.

[Kleanbore]

Why anyone would leave any weapon locked in a vehicle on the street at night is beyond me.


Every parked vehicle is a target for burglary, every night. Money, GPS receiver, credit cards, cell phone, power saw, computer, gun....

[Baba Louie]

Sorry for your loss.
Probably a hard lesson to be learned here. (no doubt you're feeling it)

I've had 2 trucks broken into w/ the glove box and tool boxes rifled. Pissed me off to no end. I assume they were looking for weapons, biggest loss being tools, as I keep weaponry with me and it always goes inside at night.

Again, sorry for your loss. Hope it's not used in a crime against another "victim".

That'd be a tough nut for me to swallow, knowing it's all due to...

[stchman]

I wonder why the thief took the time to take the gun and mags out of the holster.

I figure it would be easier just to gank the entire thing.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I keep a gun in the car---but its long gun---locked in the trunk---locked in my garage which is below my bedroom---I don't worry much about it.

[TRguy]

Some of you guys beating him up for leaving it in a locked car is beyond me. Maybe you guys who wrote those things should take a writing class to say things a bit more tactfully.

I bet I follow you around all day and monitor your behavior and actions you aren't perfect either.

Fun guys at the dinner table.

[kda]

Condolences for sure.

Some time ago I began to realize how thoroughly our civilized society is becoming uncivilized ... how years of coddling criminal behavior in our national politics and on our streets has lowered the bar for tolerable behavior. Shameful behavior becomes acceptable, then even normal. Crimes are "understood" since the perp had a bad childhood ... and we should go easy on them and give them another chance. It is now accepted that millions of our youth are graduating from school without English, Math or communication skills ... and thus we leave our youth and young adults no realistic way to earn an honest living.

As we became a kinder, a more understanding and a more forgiving society, we have dramatically modified the social environment in which we all live ... AND NOW WE MUST MODIFY OUR OWN BEHAVIOR to compensate for what we have done. Consider the comment made above which I quote below:

[ Sadly, prosecutors simply aren't going to think this is much of a big deal, and unless it was Charles Manson that stole your gun, they probably aren't going to be too interested in spending a whole lot of effort punishing the guy.]

The lesson we are all learning (and you just got a really hard lesson for sure) is that with our increased willingness to tolerate criminal or anti-social behavior, we must also accept significantly more responsibility for protecting ourselves, our loved ones and our property. And we must do this with much more care.

We simply cannot set this many ne'er-do-wells loose on our streets and not expect our lives to change ... and change quite dramatically.

[Sheepdog1968]

There are a couple of websites where you can put your stolen gun on I think one is hotgunz.com. I'd Google and put the serial number on all the ones that you can find. Best of luck to you.

[thegriz]

I disgusts me how so many of you lock your guns in your gun safes or closets in your homes. That's how guns get into the hands of criminals who use them to commit crimes and beat little puppy dogs. Don't you realize that criminals break into homes and steal guns. The same applies for your prescription drugs that you fail to keep on your person 24/7 to avoid theft. YOU are the cause of all their crimes and drug addictions!

Possession of guns and drugs should be outlawed for everybody except for people like me who duct tape them their bodies 24/7. :barf:

[TRguy]

thegriz, hahahahahahahaha that is hilarious

So now please send a cleaning crew over to remove this spew from my keyboard.

[DHJenkins]

Some of you guys beating him up for leaving it in a locked car is beyond me.

Speaking as one of the people who didn't beat him up about it...

It is the policy of the SAPD to not only not investigate a vehicle burglary, but you make your report over the phone. They don't care what was in your car unless the value exceeds $5k. Criminals/bored kids know this, so there's virtually no reason for them not to do it.

Faced with that, I can easily see why some people would consider it irresponsible. I still do it, but like I said, I use a cheap gun that I won't be too upset over if it's stolen - and I don't hide it in an obvious place like a glove box. In fact, I don't keep anything important in my glove box.

[akodo]

Why anyone would leave any weapon locked in a vehicle on the street at night is beyond me.


Every parked vehicle is a target for burglary, every night. Money, GPS receiver, credit cards, cell phone, power saw, computer, gun....

My, that is a bit silly.

Maybe we should just not have ANYTHING, because it could get stolen!

Life is a balancing act. Why do you think the Ruger LCP sells so well? Because guys say "If I ever get in a gunfight, I think a 380 from a tiny gun is the most effective tool to use!"

Of Course Not!

people carry small guns because they realize that they will sucumb to human nature and not bother carrying a large gun, no matter how tactically sound it is...because it is too inconvenient.

The small gun is not perfect, but because those people are REALISTS they balance poor performance against increased likelyhood of the gun being on-person when needed.


I think the same applies to guns kept in the vehicle. For many people because of the rules of the state they live in (and possible work place restricitons) a gun in the car is as close as they can get to a gun close by.

Now, of course, one must again take a realist view. One must realize that due to human nature there will be times when you don't bother taking the gun to the car. So just like the LCP is not the BEST fighting weapon, a gun in the car is never TOTALLY secure (but then, with enough time a criminal can get into your gun safe too) but it is a reasonable comprimise.

Now, the next step in reality is to judge how secure you are, and consider having a car gun that is less valuable in case disaster strikes....but the flip side of this is 'what if the disaster that strikes isn't a theft....but an attack!' Then do you really want to have to defend your life with a $150 gunshow makarov vs the $850 SIG 220 all because on the off chance your gun is stolen you'd be out $700 more dollars?

$700 dollars is pretty insignficant compare to a life. (of course, an additional $100 for a quality lock box would be smart too)

No matter what choice you make, IF your gun gets stolen, it doesn't matter if it is your old makarov, your new SIG, if it was just in the glovebox or in a lockbox cable-locked to the seat-frame, it is NORMAL to be upset about it.


So, to the OP. Man, I feel your pain. Any theft, even just a stereo, feels like an invasion. To have the item stolen be one that is both valuable and beloved is an extra kick in the guts. I am sorry. To round it out, the fact that it was a GUN is an additional unpleasant complication. I hope it is returned to you one way or another.

[tkopp]

In the state of Washington, pawn shops report to their local police every night via electronic reporting. Reporting your weapon to the shops is counterproductive -- they won't buy a weapon they know (or suspect) is hot, which makes it less likely to come back on the grid. There's also a mandatory 30-day holding period for purchases before they can resell the weapons (or anything else for that matter).

Gun stores that deal in used firearms are *not* subject to this same wait period, and with police processing time (about a week) a firearm could be resold before the local PD knows what's up. Report to gun stores, not pawn shops.

[Ughh]

$500?? Try $400, like many have said your nearing a brand new Sig. Unless your Sig is a high end P220, which leaves me to wonder why you would leave a higher end pistol in your car.

Condolences

[Mr. Bojangles]

I really appreciate the constructive comments and good information I have received from many of you. I also appreciate the humor some of you have interjected, and since I still feel like I got kicked in the balls it does me good to have a chuckle.

As I have stated, and many of you have also stated over, and over, and over again, I do realize leaving it in the glovebox was very foolish. That being said...

To SAVAGEMANANTONIO, I do apologize for causing all the gun control laws and crime that has ever been and will ever occur. If any new gun control legislation passes, you have my permission to toilet paper my house. I also do hope that someday if someone breaks into my house and steals a firearm from my safe you will find it in your heart to forgive me, because it is all my fault. And although this is not very "high road" of me, the rest of you know-it-all never-made-a-mistake self-righteous jackasses can shove it.

Once again, I do sincerely appreciate those of you who have offered helpful advice and condolences. I do realize my mistake and irresponsibility and hope others can learn from my mistake.

[Mr. Bojangles]

BTW, the Serial number is G386960, it is (was) the model with the rail under the nose. Color was black, the gun was completely stock, I had not made any modifications to it whatsoever.

I am serious about the $500 reward. It is worth it to me to get it back.

[leadcounsel]

I can sympathize. I accidently left mine in my gym bag in my car when I went to the gym. 3 cars were broken into. My guns were stolen.

I've since learned my lesson not to leave guns in the car unless they are secured with a cable or chained steel box to something secure in the vehicle.

As far as the reward, you may be wasting your time. Who's gonna turn it in and risk apprehension. The thief? nope. Someone that bought it from the theif? Unlikely. But if it means that much to you, go for it.

[9MMare]

I live in a state where your guns must be unloaded and locked-up when they are not in your immediate vicinity. .

What state is this? This would seriously impact the way that I plan to store my home defense handgun (in a home with no children).

How effective is a gun against home invaders unloaded and locked up? Or maybe I'm not sure how 'immediate vicinity' is defined?

[9MMare]

Sympathies from a Westsider Bo.

[SavageManAntonio]

As I stated before-my comments may seem harsh but I did offer condolences. I would never want to feel the pain of losing a gun via an event such as this. Some of you may think that the requirements I live by are harsh but I am not one to claim that I am free from mistakes. This is not about that. I find my weapons to be of the utmost importance as well many of you.

For further explanation-there are vehicle safes out there that can be used if you intend to lock you weapons in you vehicle on a regular basis. Where I live the term, "immediate vicinity" means that it can be out and loaded in my home as long as I am in my home. So for all you whom believe that this is an issue, it isn't. I carry my weapons just about wherever I go and I am one to leave weapons out and loaded while I am at home and at night when I sleep. When I decide not to carry, I lock it in a SAFE where no average burglar with a hammer and screwdriver is likely to get them. I treat all of my precious belongings the same way.

Not withstanding, I understand why some of you believe that I am wrong and I will not argue that you can not be held accountable in every situation for someone else's actions, such as theft. But if you weapons are important, why not lock them up in a secure fashion if they are not being used or prepared for use, such as defensive weapons left in the area when you are home?

I also understand some of you live in areas with low crime where it is normal for you to use gun cabinets to display them. But that does not take away the fact that there are not only valuables but they are also a problem in the wrong hands. Anti-gunners will use every reason possible to try to ban them and this is one for their arsenal. I hear this often and have heard it many times form anti-second amendment people-that this is a reason to ban, "assault weapons." It is proven that a great number of illegally owned weapons come from thefts.

So, if you want, find me to be fallible, in contempt. But you will not find me to be irresponsible or careless with my weapons.

[moooose102]

first, sorry to hear your gun was stolen. i NEVER leave a gun in my car overnight, except my muzzle loader during season, so condensation doesn't get to the black powder. hopefully, the alarm system on the vehicle would thwart off anyone trying to break into it. mostly, my pistol stays with me. i get nervous when i have to lock it inside a lockbox, inside my locked car when i can not carry it. even if it is just for a few minutes.

[bababooey32]

I live in a state where your guns must be unloaded and locked-up when they are not in your immediate vicinity.

Well, he did have them in a locked glove box, which was inside a locked car.

I lock it in a SAFE where no average burglar with a hammer and screwdriver is likely to get them

HA! If a burglar wants something bad enough, he'll get it. I tried to find the post, but can't. Another High Roader had his enitire 500lb safe stolen, full of guns. Don't fool yourself.

Take reasonable precautions, but don't believe for a second that you can 100% defeat a determined criminal.

So, if you want, find me to be fallible, in contempt

No one is holding you in contempt, but your critique of OPs security is overzealous, and your evaluation of your own is optimistic.

[FAS1]

We see these stories all the time, yet we continue to not do everything we can to secure our guns, especially our primary defense or carry gun. You hve to slow them down enough so they move to the next target. It's our responsibility as gun owners to keep our guns out of the wrong hands whether it's children or criminals. Even behind locked doors. $250 doesn't seem like much to spend to do this after the fact (cheaper than a $500 reward). Look at my offer in the group buys if you are interested in securing your handgun and keeping it very accessible at the same time. There is a 25% discount coupon.

[frisbee2421]

mr bojangles, are you originally from virginia or north carolina? with your name bojangles, man they have a tasty chicken biscuit. sorry bout the loss, go buy another sig. you will fall in love all over again. buy a lorcin and put it in the glove box. that way, the thief will be pissed when they break in and find that P.O.S. paperweight. they probably try to kick you in your hind parts for making them go through the hassle of breaking in.

[NEWLOADER]

I know how you feel. I had a Ruger P-89 9mm stolen from my truck a couple years ago.

[crebralfix]

VERY Irresponsible Handling
I guess This may seem harsh but this type of irresponsible action is exactly how many criminals get guns. This is also why many people think that by banning guns the criminals will not be able to get them. I live in a state where your guns must be unloaded and locked-up when they are not in your immediate vicinity. If less people did things such as locking your guns in a glovebox there would be less theft and less harassment from anti-gun people. I am sorry for your loss but even more sorry for the rest of us whom also have to suffer the consequences.

Would you listen to yourself?

The thief KNOWS stealing is bad and is a crime. The responsibility is on the thief.

The stupid laws that your state enacted are just as bad because they place fault on the person WHO DID NOT COMMIT A CRIME. Elevating a gun beyond mere property is foolish because it gives the government MORE power over the citizenry.

It is PRECISELY this line of thinking that has turned our rights into privileges controlled by various levels of government.

Now, if you don't want to lose your property, do not needlessly expose it to theft. This is personal security 101. Beyond that, any criminal responsibility falls upon the person committing the theft.

[Master Blaster]

About five years ago a local gunshop had a band of theives 4 or them on the video, take a stolen tow truck / wrecker, and drive it through the front of the store, after they cut the power and phone lines. The store had a 5000 lb commercial safe, which the theives, put on a dolley (for transporting cars) and chained to the back of the wrecker before they drove it away.

The wrecker and the cut open safe were found 5 miles away in a swamp off I-95 about a week later. The store lost 170 firearms.

Theft is the criminals fault, just like rape is the fault of the rapists no matter how pretty the girl is or what kind of clothes she wears.

PERIOD.

When the state passes a law that holds the rape victim (or the gun owner) accountable for causing the rape, they belong living in the 12th century not the modern one, and should be horsewhipped them selves.

I hope you get your gun back.

[SavageManAntonio]

Now I am laughing out loud. Apparently some of you believe that we should not be responsible with our weapons. States such as mine have enacted mandatory storage requirement laws because of the ease with which criminals get guns from theft. Some of you have it wrong and I will not relent on my position.

It is actually pretty simple. If people were more responsible with their weapons then less weapons would be stolen then less crimes would be committed with them then possibly less laws would be enacted in attempts to stop the everyday thief from getting them. This is EXACTLY why my state originally proposed these requirements.

I never took the onus off of the criminal but let's be reasonable and not compare this to rape. But since you brought up the subject....what would you say to a daughter if she walked through bad parts of the city at night by herself? Wouldn't you be concerned for her safety and want to prevent the rape from happening? Obviously she is not at fault if she were to be harmed but she could have possibly taken steps to reduce the chances-like not traveling alone or not being there in that part of the city.

Some of these justifications for not taking every available precaution are ludicrous. How often is a commercial safe stolen? So another justification is that you shouldn't lock them up because your safe might be stolen? You also mentioned that it was a dealer, correct? So many people may have had the chance to case the facility and to take the risk because of the large reward. So, what is the likelihood that the average home burglar will walk off with a large safe? For all the other responsible gun owners out there....good job.

[billybob44]

Bojan. has already fessed up to making a dumb mistake. He does not need any more "Daddy" advise!! He is being very nice to advise others to not make the same mistake. If anyone locates his Sig-PLEASE-hold on to the seller, until Bojan. can arrive!!!!!!!!!!!!:fire::fire:

[Deltaboy]

Hope you get your gun back I keep my cars locked inside the Garage!

[fw2009]

it was a random car theft, they saw the gun happy to see it didnt think and left the mags there, I would suggest rather a reward put in the paper willing to buy or looking for that certain type gun, when and if some one comes through, match the serials, and maybe with luck from God you can hit two birds with one stone.

[SuperNaut]

Thieves were unable to open the lockbox in my Jeep, so they stole the entire Jeep.

We all need to stop tempting thieves with our valuables! :rolleyes:

[Lakeshore]

http://www.stolenweapon.com

[rbernie]

The thief KNOWS stealing is bad and is a crime. The responsibility is on the thief.

The stupid laws that your state enacted are just as bad because they place fault on the person WHO DID NOT COMMIT A CRIME. Elevating a gun beyond mere property is foolish because it gives the government MORE power over the citizenry.

It is PRECISELY this line of thinking that has turned our rights into privileges controlled by various levels of government.

Now, if you don't want to lose your property, do not needlessly expose it to theft. This is personal security 101. Beyond that, any criminal responsibility falls upon the person committing the theft.
It is sad that some would punish those who are victimized, under the premise that they were not 'careful enough'. To me, that logic always resembles those who would find fault with the rape victim for 'not fighting back enough' or 'dressing too provocatively'.

Yup - let's blame the target for ENTICING the criminal behavior..

<sigh>

[FROGO207]

A thief is looking for the easy way out. If life is hard he will go elsewhere for an easy meal so to speak. We all must make it as hard as we can for the BG to succeed and they will pick on someone else hopefully. We may even get lucky and catch them before they cause harm. Sorry about the loss and hope it is returned soon. Seems to be happening much too often these days.At least you were not hurt in the process. If you had heard them and gone outside you may have been shot or something.

[Bruno2]

I had a S&W airweight stolen out of my wifes sequoia on Christmas eve last year .She carries it with her while shopping b/c of the high crime rate during the Christmas ( notice I didnt say holidays ) season . We were sitting in our living room watching a movie waiting on the kids to go to bed . We generally dont lock the cars until we go to bed . Somebody broke in while we were watching the movie and stole the pistol only . It was probably loaded and there was a speed loader beside it . We called the leo and reported it . The cop was drilling the question " was it loaded ?" which to me sounded very irrelivent to what was going on . I assumed that the cop wanted to charge us with something being that we were victimized and had our property wrongfully taken . I thought my wallet was stolen in the burglary , but , I found it a few days later underneath the seat . So I called the leo and informed them that my wallet was found . I got a letter in the mail at least 3 mos after the burglary from the PD . I was happy b/c I thought it was them saying we found your gun , but , it wasnt it was them asking if we would like for them to record and process the serial numbers that I gave them on the gun to be registered as stolen DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I am sure that the gun was probably sold three times over at pawn shops and FFL gun shops while these DA MF'S were sitting on the info . So be sure and call the police and make sure that they HAVE registered it as a stolen gun .

Best wishes I am sorry for your loss

[Eric F]

My gun was stolen from my truck too. It was recovered a week later. I get to see and hold it Tuesday in court. I might get it back this year, depends on how long the lab takes.

I hope my luck passes on to you!

[chuckusaret]

I had an idiot break into my car and did attempt to break into the gun safe that is bolted to the floorboard under the drivers seat. He destroyed my seat and also urinated on it but only scratched the black finish on the safe. He failed to look in the trunk, four shotguns just laying on the floor.

Yes the guy was caught while breaking into another car that night. His fingerprints and DNA were found in my car. The court found him guilty and is now waiting his sustenance.

[thebaldguy]

We live in the inner city. We have crime victims as well. Our garage was broken into, our neighbors have been burglarized, and we even called in an abandoned stolen car parked in front of our house. These things can happen anywhere.

We never leave anything of any value in a car parked on the street. We have had two vehicles broken into over the years parked on the street. They took a radar detector cord (we brought the detector in at night) from my girlfriends Mustang by breaking a window, and the second time the alarm scared them off when they broke a vent window in the Jeep Cherokee.

We keep our vehicles locked up inside a locked garage at night. Friends who come over are warned to make sure everything valuable is out of the car and trunk. I won't give the criminals anything to take.