Rash of auto break-ins hits area towns
Perhaps it's because people tend not to lock their cars in the suburbs and ripping them off is so easy. Or maybe it's a sign of a growing need for cash by drug addicts, or the ease of fencing GPS navigation systems or laptops.
Whatever the reasons, police in a number of area communities are investigating recent spates of vehicle break-ins and thefts of expensive items.
In Sudbury, for example, thieves broke into 18 cars over several days this month, making off with cash, gift cards, and most of all, portable GPS units. All the cars were unlocked, said Sudbury Detective Wayne Shurling, who is investigating the incidents.
The thefts were reported in two areas: the King Philip neighborhood, on the east end of town off Route 20, and the Pine Lakes section on the northwest side, closer to Stow.
Police said it appears thieves were walking from house to house and car to car looking for unlocked doors, and GPS devices or other loose electronics stuck to the windshield.
Sudbury residents reported about 60 cars being broken into last year. The recent thefts brought the total to 30 this year.
Meanwhile, in Natick, police have handled about 80 break-ins this year, compared with 46 over the same period last year. At least six were broken into last week.
"We have a substantial problem with car break-ins, specifically for GPS units, laptops - of course, they'll take whatever's not tied down and has value," said Natick Police Lieutenant Brian Grassey. "We're suffering car breaks along the Route 9 corridor and within any large apartment complexes.
"It may be an indicator of the availability of heroin or uptake in crack cocaine use, coupled with the ease in which this can be perpetrated," he said, and the ease with which stolen goods can be sent out in the secondary market.
In Framingham, police reported a string of thefts from cars near the Framingham Country Club early this month, in which phone chargers, cash, and a radar detector were stolen.
And in Wayland, police said four cars on Alpine Drive were burglarized on one day, June 11. Three cars parked at conservation areas were broken into in April. By this time last year, five cars had been burglarized, officials said.
Throughout the communities, the break-ins have occurred in driveways, parking lots, and along roadways.
Police say they do not know whether the crimes within each town were committed by the same people, but they are confident that the break-ins throughout the region are not the work of a band of thieves traveling from town to town. No arrests have been made in any of the crimes.
Grassey said the break-ins in Natick are happening at random intervals, in different parts of town, and at different times of day, making investigation that much more difficult. "Unfortunately it's not specific to a locale or time of day, so it makes it difficult to police," he said.
Police statewide said they look to pawn shops and online markets like
Meanwhile, police in Newton attribute at least some of a 10 percent decline in vehicle break-ins in the city this year to educating the public about how they can be prevented. Authorities have reported 191 break-ins so far this year.
The best way to avoid being victimized is to lock your car's doors and remove any valuables, police say. With GPS units, you should also use a glass cleaner to remove the ring left by the suction cup holding it in place.
"It's not rocket science," said Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker. "I always say this to people - for any crime to be committed you need two things: motive and opportunity. Motive is always going to be there - someone's always looking for a car to break into.
"Now, opportunity, if you have your car behind the house or on the street where there's no lights, they're going to look in. If they look inside and see nothing, then they're going to be on to the next car, but if they see a GPS unit there or a laptop on the seat or any sort of valuables, they're going in that car."
John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com. 