Clarksville Police Department
Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Police Department is urging car owners to “Park Smart!” Over 60 percent of the vehicle thefts and burglaries in Clarksville have been to unsecured vehicles or keys were left inside or easily accessible to thieves.
There has been an overall increase of over 100 vehicle burglaries from 2017 to 2018 for the same time frame between January and September. Guns stolen from vehicle burglaries are up from 64 to 74.
Clarksville Police are teaming up with other law enforcement agencies such as Metro Nashville who already have “Park Smart!” campaigns for stress free ways to reduce auto thefts.
The concepts behind Park Smart! are easy and simplistic to follow:
First, LOCK YOUR VEHICLE- always lock your car and close your windows, even for short durations, when your vehicle is unattended
Second, SECURE YOUR VALUABLES-a vehicle becomes a desirable target when you leave purses, money, laptops, and cellphones visible to a passerby. Also, leaving firearms inside of a vehicle overnight, unsecured or without some sort of positive control can be a formula for disaster.
Third, TAKE YOUR KEYS WITH YOU-never leave the key in the ignition or fob in the car when it is unattended or running.
As a reminder Tennessee Code Annotated, 55-8-162, states: Unattended motor vehicles — Unattended vehicles containing medical or hazardous waste — Penalty and liability — Application to utility.
(a) No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, and effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway.
(b)
(1) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no person shall leave unsecured and unattended any truck, tractor-trailer or tractor-semitrailer combination, with a rated capacity of more than one (1) ton, containing “medical waste,” as defined in rules promulgated under §§ 68-211-101 — 68-211-122, or “hazardous waste,” as defined in § 68-212-104, in any residential area, or within one thousand feet (1,000′) of any church, school or park.
Professional thieves can steal any car, but it makes sense not to make it easy for them. Don’t provide thieves an incentive to break into your vehicle by leaving items of value inside.
Also, it may not be comfortable getting into a hot or cold car, but pales in comparison to the steps you have to go through if your vehicle is stolen.
It takes seconds to “Park Smart”! compared to the monetary loss and time expended if your vehicle is burglarized or stolen.
