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Thieves Track Down GPS Units
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And Metro Transit Police officials, who keep watch over vehicles left in Metro parking lots, said all thefts from vehicles are down about 43 percent this year over the same period in 2005, with few -- if any -- GPS units reported stolen.
Still, with an upswing in thefts in Arlington and Alexandria, police said, the problem could seep into every jurisdiction in the Washington region. Police have been unable to track the stolen units to pawnshops, leading them to believe demand is growing on the black market.
"We don't know where they're going or what they're being used for," Garrand said. "If anything, we just want to educate people about these thefts and the simple ways to prevent them."
There is no particular mode of operation, as the thefts have occurred at night and during the day. In most cases, the car was broken into, but in several others, the doors were left unlocked. In one case at a movie theater near Old Town Alexandria, a motorist left the windows and top down on his convertible, his high-end GPS equipment attached to the dashboard with an adhesive strap.
Washington, one of several detectives who recently canvassed the hardest-hit areas in Arlington in search of suspects, said it comes down to this: "Don't leave anything in your car that you're not willing to lose."
According to FBI statistics, the number of accessories stolen from vehicles shot up 30 percent from 2000 to 2004. Yet the number of stolen autos continues to drop nationwide, as many newer vehicles are coming equipped with tracking systems and sophisticated anti-theft devices.
One example is Arlington. Last year, police took 664 reports for items stolen from cars, up from 632 in 2004. In contrast, 493 vehicles were stolen from the county that year, while in 2005, the tally fell to 419, police said.
Thefts of high-end products from cars, including GPS devices, have been reported in locales across the nation, from Boston to Dallas to Orange County, Calif., and police are urging car owners to take greater precautions.
Really, Garrand said, it is very simple.
