With carjackings and car-related thefts on the rise throughout the D.C. region, the Fairfax County Police Department is hoping to crack down with a countywide enforcement and education initiative this month.
The Summer Crime Prevention team will step up patrols in areas that have historically been targeted for car break-ins.
The department is also offering tips for protecting yourself from car-related theft.
Car break-ins are crimes of opportunity, police say. Residents should park in spots with lots of streetlights and avoid leaving anything valuable inside vehicles, like a laptop or cellphone.
And while you may think that magnetic wheel will hide a key and fool car thieves, it probably won’t. Police are urging drivers not to leave a spare car key where it can easily be found by criminals.
You might want to spend the few hundred bucks on a car alarm or put in a GPS tracker. An Apple AirTag is just $30 and can be an affordable way to track a stolen vehicle.
If you have a Ring security camera, police ask that you link it to Neighbors By Ring, which can share your footage with your neighbors and the police.
