Lock It Or Lose It: Sheriff Warns As Auto Burglaries Spike

SARASOTA, FL — Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies responded to 892 auto burglaries last year. Nearly 87 percent of those burglaries involved vehicles that were unlocked.

With the number of auto burglary reports so far this year on track to outpace 2016, the sheriff’s office is imploring residents to do their part to prevent crime by taking a few steps before they leave their vehicles behind.

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“We are seeing these crimes of opportunity every day in Sarasota County,” Sheriff Tom Knight said in an Aug. 8 statement. “What’s most disappointing is these numbers would be drastically lower if citizens just took a few seconds to slow down and put safety first.”

According to the sheriff’s office, there have been 541 reported auto burglaries in 2017 so far. The 2016 numbers added up to about 74.3 auto burglaries a month. The county is averaging about 77 reports a month so far this year.

Knight said residents can protect themselves from becoming victims by doing simple things, such as locking their doors and keeping valuable items out of plain sight.

“This is really an educational campaign with a goal of educating our citizens and reminding them that leaving valuables in plain sight is asking for trouble,” he said.

To help residents learn what it takes to lower their burglary odds, the sheriff’s office has also released a short video. It can be viewed below:

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Screenshot and video courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office