Larceny Up as Gadgets Tempt Thieves

Thefts From Vehicles Major Issue in Region

Although crime is generally down across Northern Virginia, a persistent problem continues to vex police and residents: phones, cameras and other electronic devices being stolen from vehicles.

In Arlington County, larceny is up 20 percent this year, compared with the same period last year. In Fairfax County, it's up about 3 percent, and in Prince William Conty, about 1 percent.

Police have recorded more larcenies than any other kind of major crime in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William. Even in jurisdictions where larceny has decreased from last year, such as Alexandria and Loudoun County, police still say the crime is an issue.

Fairfax County alone recorded 3,720 larcenies from January to March.

Prince William had 2,581 for the first half of the year.

This year, Alexandria has had 1,517 larcenies, Arlington 1,819 and Loudoun 1,159.

Larceny, also known as theft, includes crimes such as shoplifting, but the majority are electronics and other items being stolen from vehicles, police said.

"Most are larcenies from vehicles to include valuables left in cars, including GPS's, MP3 players, purses, wallets," said Kraig Troxell, spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say it's a frustrating crime, because people leave their valuables in plain view in vehicles, almost inviting thieves.

"We remind people that they have to lock their doors and take things out of sight," said Jody Donaldson, spokesman for Alexandria police. "People walk by and see an iPod and a GPS on a car seat and just smash and grab. You'd be surprised how many people leave their car unlocked with that stuff out."

Police warn that electronic devices should not be left in cars and, if they are, they should be securely out of sight. They said never leave a car idling or unlocked, even in front of your home.

Donaldson said the problem is growing in part because more people have gadgets.

"A lot of people have these items that used to not have them -- BlackBerrys, iPods, iPhones, tiny cameras," Donaldson said. "Think about how many people have this technology who didn't a year ago."

Police said groups of people often commit a string of car break-ins in an area. So when police make arrests, the number of larcenies drops, at least temporarily.

Donaldson said people can help by calling police if they see suspicious activity, such as someone walking by cars peering into windows. He said police would rather someone err on the side of calling 911, even if the situation turns out not to be criminal. The alternative is that more criminals get away, he said.

"We can't be everywhere all the time," he said.