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Feb 10, 2009 6:08 pm US/Central
Thieves Target Purses Left In Cars During Workouts
(WCCO)
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Experts said if you absolutely have to leave something of value in the car, put it clearly out of sight. If it's a laptop or purse, stash it in a locked trunk where it's out of view before you get to the parking lot.
CBS
It's a crime that's happening in broad daylight all across the Twin Cities metro -- thieves are targeting parked cars for quick cash, credit cards and other valuables, left behind when people head inside for their daily workouts.
An Eden Prairie woman who asks not to be identified is just the latest victim. She was on her lunch break Monday when she went to her area Lifetime Fitness.
"When I was leaving I came back out to my car and I noticed that the window on my driver's side had been smashed in," the young woman recalled.
She said she'd even placed her purse under the seat, well out of view. Her purse and its contents -- credit cards, checkbook and driver's license -- are all gone, but also stripped away is her sense of security with new fears over identity theft.
She'll now have to spend hours canceling all of her accounts, online and on the phone.
"Having to take the car in to get that fixed and working through closing all of the accounts and changing all of your direct deposits and all that information ... it's a really big hassle," the woman said.
Thefts from parked vehicles have been happening all across the southwest metro. In Eden Prairie alone, police have investigated 14 reported vehicle break-ins at parking lots at Lifetime and the nearby Eden Prairie Community Center.
Investigators said the thieves are watching the lots and waiting for their victims to head inside without a purse. That way they assume there's a good chance the woman left it stashed inside the vehicle.
"They probably spend enough time watching and seeing patterns of how people are moving around. And they know once you go into the club, they've got an hour or two to do what they're going to do," said Eden Prairie police officer, Sgt. Matt Sackett.
Sackett said the department is working with other area police departments to coordinate information about suspect descriptions, license plate numbers and other reported sightings. Since the beginning of the year, one person has been arrested, however the thefts are continuing.
Experts said if you absolutely have to leave something of value in the car, put it clearly out of sight. If it's a laptop or purse, stash it in a locked trunk where it's out of view before you get to the parking lot.
Police hope anyone who sees suspicious activity, particularly in these health club parking lots, will immediately call 911 and report it to police.
Still, the best advice is to leave your valuables at home, and keep your wallet sparse and out of sight.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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