NORFOLK, Va. (NPD) – On March 19th Norfolk Police spotted an occupied SUV parked in the 8500 block of Tidewater Drive. This wasn’t just any SUV, it was stolen, and reported to have been used in two armed robberies. Officers immediately converged on the wanted vehicle challenging the occupants to come out with their hands up. Four out of the five occupants complied; however, one thought he could out run a K-9 with no success. It was later revealed that this same vehicle was left running and unattended by the owner four days before. Why you ask? It was cold that morning.
Since January 1, 2018, there have been 168 reports of stolen vehicles in Norfolk. Of these, over 60% of them had either been left running unattended or had keys left inside.
“Stolen autos are an ever-increasing problem in this city. There is only so much that law enforcement can do to prevent this type of crime,” Chief Boone said. “We need the community to partner with us to stop it”.
So what is the penalty for leaving your car unattended while running? Well to start, your insurance policy may not cover it. Also, if your car is recovered you may not get it back in the same condition you left it in or in one piece.
The best advice in preventing your vehicle from being stolen is to never leave your vehicle running unattended or leave your keys inside the car. Check the owner’s manual for a valet key. This key typically can be used to open the driver side door and start the vehicle. If you insist on warming up your car, look into a remote start system that automatically locks your car doors when activated.
These incidents are preventable and with the community’s help we can reduce crime.