Ed. Note: The following is a KHTS Feature story based on a recent radio interview with the SCV Sheriff’s Station, which was sponsored by All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita.

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station recently kicked off a brand new radio show called “Santa Clarita Sheriff Talk” on KHTS AM-1220.

Formerly known as “Neighborhood Watch” and sponsored by All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita, the revamped show aired for the first time in 2016 on Jan. 21, and will continue to air the first and third Thursday of every month from 10 to 11 a.m.

Deputies Brian Heischuber and Chris Craft of the Sheriff’s Station’s crime prevention team joined Public Information Officer Shirley Miller on the show’s debut to talk about the high number of vehicle burglaries that have occurred recently throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.

“What happens often is a lot of people go to the mall and they leave packages in their car, they leave bags in their car and they leave things in plain view,” said Heischuber, Zone 5 leader in Valencia. “Somebody walks by and sees the opportunity. No one is around, so they’re going to smash the window and take those items.”

Related: Bail Bonds In Santa Clarita: Neighborhood Watch Discusses Nixle Alerts

Because vehicle windows are designed to shatter in a crash for safety reasons, burglars can use sharp, pencil-like tools to quickly puncture the window and shatter it.

“It’s the easiest way for them to get in, and it’s not loud like everybody thinks,” said Craft, Zone 4 leader in Saugus. “It’s a quick little pop and the window shatters, and they’re in the car within seconds.”

In addition to this common method used by burglars, about 40 percent of all vehicle break-ins take place when the vehicle’s doors are left unlocked in parking lots and residents’ driveways.

“That’s a big problem out here,” Craft said. “People think that their cars are safe in their driveway, which they’re really not…  We walked through the mall parking lot this weekend and we were clearing the parking structure after we had the robbery from AT&T, and we found, I believe, 12 cars unlocked with items inside: purses, cell phones, iPads on the front seat.”

Even piles of papers, books, clothing and jackets left in plain sight can lead a potential burglar to believe there are valuables hidden underneath them, Miller added.

Valuable items left in plain sight aren’t the only things burglars are looking for, according to Craft, who listed off loose change, money in the center console, vehicle registration and sunglasses as other items with the potential to catch a burglar’s attention.

“Anything they can take, they’re taking,” he said, “so keep nothing visible. Make your car less attractive to these people and hopefully you won’t become a victim.”

Related: Bail Bonds In Santa Clarita: What It Means To Plead In Court

Common targets for thieves not only include mall and shopping center parking lots, but gym parking lots and local hiking areas as well.

“They know when you’re going to work out at the gym, you’re going to go hiking, you’re not taking your purse with you or your wallet,” Miller said. “So that’s a place that you really need to be careful.”

Heischuber advises motorists to keep as much as possible out of sight in the trunk, always lock vehicle doors and take advantage of trunk locks some newer vehicles offer. When doing holiday shopping or making big purchases, he recommends residents drop their newly purchased items off at home before making any other stops.

KHTS Feature Story

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