Ponte Vedra driveways inviting targets for crooks
By MARK PETTUS
PonteVedraRecorder.com
An unlocked car is like an engraved invitation to a burglary, and in Ponte Vedra the burglars have RSVP’d affirmatively more than 150 times since the first of the year.
According to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, 155 car burglaries have been reported at Ponte Vedra addresses since Jan. 1. 138 of those burglaries involved unlocked cars.
Deputies only report a break-in as a burglary if the resident finds something missing — if nothing is missing, it is reported as a suspicious circumstance — so the actual number of times an unlocked car has lead to a crime may be much higher, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
A map indicating where the burglaries occurred shows that virtually no Ponte Vedra neighborhood is safe from this kind of crime.
"Criminals have vehicles. They drive. They will drive down into a neighborhood," said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Chuck Mulligan.
Even gated communities are not immune.
"They are outstanding properties to deter law-abiding traffic … but if I want to commit a crime I can find my way into that neighborhood," Mulligan said.
The most common items stolen from cars in Ponte Vedra are wallets, laptop computers, iPods, CDs and stereo systems. Earlier this month, two residents reported that thieves stole check books from inside their cars.
Mulligan said deputies have noticed thieves have changed their behavior in recent years and are looking for easy targets and avoiding high-risk behaviors.
"The trend has been to get away from smashing windows," he said, adding that simply locking your car goes a long way toward deterring this time of crime.
He also recommends not leaving valuables in plain sight. A laptop computer or a wallet sitting on a seat in a locked car may cause a criminal to decide it is worth the risk of breaking the car’s window.
Unfortunately, once a thief finds an easy target in a driveway he often looks toward the house for other easy targets. Police are seeing another trend: Garage burglaries. Criminals have began cruising through neighborhoods and stealing valuables from inside garages — often in broad daylight while the residents are inside the home.
Mulligan said it is critical that neighbors be aware of each other and become familiar with who lives inside their neighborhoods. Neighbors who spot a stranger can help deputies catch criminals in the act.
Police can also help neighbors find ways to deter criminals.
"Our crime prevention unit will come to anyone’s home, free of charge, and show them how to take measures to protect themselves and their property," he said.
mpettus@jcpgroup.com
904.285.8831 ext.16
