Police: Lock Car Doors, Remove Valuables

Charleston Police asked residents to lock their cars and not hesitate to report suspicious activity at National Night Out events Tuesday.

"Our one true goal is to try to prevent crime from happening, not to respond after it happens," Chief Greg Mullen said at an . "If there is one thing I can ask you all to do and communicate to your neighbors, is to lock your doors and don't leave valuables in your car."

To drive the point home, Mullen added that many of the guns officers recover from violent crimes have been reported stolen from vehicles.

Mullen also stressed the importance of reporting suspicious activity as soon as possible. For example, he said, sometimes people don't report vehicle break-ins if nothing is damaged or taken, but that same person may have broken into multiple cars in the same neighborhood. The more victims that make reports, the more evidence police have to evaluate, which can lead to more charges for the perpetrator who could end up with a longer sentence.

The Moreland Neighborhood off St. Andrews Boulevard has had a Neighborhood Watch program since 2006, and has been holding National Night Out events for years. Jerry Johnson, head of the Moreland Civic Club, has nothing but positive things to say about the Charleston Police Department.

"I've been everywhere from Caracas to Columbia and this is the greatest police force I've ever come into contact with," Johnson said.

Johnson added that his neighborhood hasn't had much of a problem with crime, and credits the city police force and his neighbors who are dedicated to the neighborhood watch program. The biggest problems have been traffic related, he said.

"We've tried traffic calming programs of all sorts, and it's helped," Johnson said. "And [the police] help by writing tickets."