Auto burglaries come in waves according to police

Four burglaries of vehicles and one burglary of a boat in the past week merely illustrate that break-ins come in waves, police say.

"These people are opportunists," said police Lt. Darryl Johnson. "If they see something and it's easy to get at, they'll take it."

Johnson said a spike in vehicle burglaries in a short period doesn't necessarily indicate there's a burglary ring operating in Port Aransas.

Although police reports are still incomplete on some of the crimes, a break-in on Saturday, June 7, is typical, Johnson said.

In that case, the truck was in a parking lot overnight at an address on South 11th Street. Sometime during the night, someone opened the truck and took rod-and-reel combinations, a tackle box and a GPS unit. Total value of the stolen items was estimated at $3,460.

There was no sign of forced entry to the 2004 Ford pickup truck, indicating that it was probably unlocked in the parking lot overnight, Johnson said.

While the crime was reported to police at 5 a.m., it occurred sometime between the last time the owner saw the truck - about 5 p.m. the previous day - and the time it was reported, Johnson said.

"Rods have very little identification," he said. "Reels often have a serial number, and if that serial number turns up later, we can identify the stolen property."

Johnson advised owners of such items to make a list of the serial numbers and keep the list in a place where it's easy for them to find. That way, if something is stolen, the owner can supply police with the serial numbers.

While that's not a theft preventive, it can help in recovering stolen property.

For prevention, Johnson advised a vehicle key.

"More than 80 percent of the vehicle burglaries we investigate involved vehicles that were left unlocked," he said. "Once again, thieves are opportunists. If they see two cars and one is locked, they'll go to the unlocked one. They can open it and get away without making too much noise."

Because most break-ins occur at night, Johnson also advised owners to take valuables out of their vehicles overnight.

"A typical tourist might come to Port Aransas and leave things in the vehicle while he's in the motel or hotel," Johnson said. "That's an invitation."

He noted also that many thefts from pickup trucks involve items left in the bed of the truck - especially ice chests with beer in them.

"That's the way a lot of these under age drinkers get their beer," he observed.