Rye PD Warns on Vehicle Theft

Rye PD is warning residents to take measures to prevent vehicle thefts in our community. In a bulletin released Tuesday, the police department is warning of “a group of youths targeting suburban communities” for car theft.

Just about two weeks ago, Rye PD arrested a 15-year old in relation to car thefts in the Glen Oaks area.

Remarkably, Rye PD reports all 47 instances of vehicle theft since 2015 involved vehicles being unlocked with the key inside. I mean, come on folks…

Here are the details and some tips from the police:

“City of Rye Police Bulletin

Since 2015 47 vehicles have been reported stolen in the City of Rye. Of those 47 vehicles all of them were unlocked with the key/FOB left inside. There is a group of youths targeting suburban communities for this very reason. In many cases the stolen vehicles are being used in the commission of much more serious crimes. The City of Rye Police Department is asking their residents to take a minute and read the following tips to help us combat these crimes.

Double check vehicle is locked before leaving it unattended – If a car has keyless entry, it will always make a visual and audible prompt to show it is locked, i.e., a beep and a flash of the hazards, and often the wing mirrors will fold in. Double-check these prompts have taken place.

New doorbell cameras will wake up and record anyone who approaches the vehicle – Doorbell cameras can be placed to monitor a vehicle when it is parked and ‘wake up’ if ‘events’ are detected, including activity near the car, and will send a live stream to your phone.

Use a tracking device to increase the chance of recovery – A tracker device tracks the location of your vehicle using global positioning system (GPS) technology and it can also reduce annual insurance premiums.

Avoid Leaving Valuables in Plain Sight – Ideally, you should never leave any valuables in your car. If you do leave a bag or phone behind, make sure that you stow it out of sight (such as in the glove box or the trunk). If you have any charging cables plugged in, you should hide these, too. Keeping valuables out of sight will help your car to avoid the attention of would-be thieves.

Don’t leave your garage door opener in your car – While it’s convenient to clip a remote to your car’s visor or toss it into the glovebox, those are the first places a criminal will look. Make a habit of keeping the remote in your purse or coat pocket, or carry it into the house and keep it with your keys.

Help us keep our community safe “