By Paris Jackson
EUGENE, Ore--Lowering Eugene's property crime rate is an ongoing struggle for Eugene Police. Tuesday, we talked about residential burglaries. Today, we looked at car break-ins.
According to police data, in 2007, there were 1,889 car break-ins. So far, this year there have been 2,324.
Eugene Police said car break-ins are one of the most difficult crimes to tackle because it's hard to catch criminals in the act.
Police said lately, football games have been a big target area for criminals because of the valuables left in cars. Another area criminals target--holiday shopping locations.
"You go to one store--you buy a lot of stuff. What do you do? You put it in your car and you go to the next store. Well, people are just loading this stuff into their cars. It's like shopping day for the criminals. Try to keep things in your trunk, if you have to," Community Service Officer Jania Batted said.
Authorities said criminals have become more brazen and aren't fearful of doing a little jail time. They know there's not much room to hold them in jail.
Here are way can prevent yourself from being victimized:
*Always lock your vehicle
*Never leave valuables inside
*Park in well-lit locations
*Whenever you leave your car be aware of activity and people around you
Comments
And the media make a big
And the media make a big deal out of taser usage?
A handful of people with attitudes get tased at no expense and 2,324 people are victimized at what expense?
When is the media going to act in the best interest of the community instead of holding a witch hunt on cops with tasers? How many criminals are responsible for vehicle break ins? Maybe the local media should focus their energy on solving escalating crimes that impact thousands.