Sheriff: Lock Your Vehicles

DAYTON - Despite what may seem like a surge in the vehicle prowls in Dayton, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office reports the incidences of car break-ins are down from last year.

Sheriff Walt Hessler said the numbers are decreasing because of the office's dili- gence on the streets.

In the same time period in 2011, January to August, the sheriff's office received 30 reports of vehicle prowls out of the total 46 for the year, according to according to a release prepared by Dian McClurg of the sheriff's of- fice. The January to August total for 2012 is 21, down nine reports from last year.

Hessler said the decrease in incidents for 2012 is at- tributed to good police work, proactive law enforcement and incarceration of those who commit the crimes. The Columbia County Jail inmate record says only one inmate is there for vehicle prowl and Columbia County Prosecutor Legal Assistant Julie Karl said he was incarcerated on May 16 for violation of parole.

Sheriff Walt Hessler said car prowls usually increase during the summer months.

"It's a crime of opportu- nity," Hessler said. "With warmer weather and longer days, people stay out later. There are more people on the streets in the evening and night during the summer."

The reported prowls have included the theft of a car radio, a case of about 30 CDs, change, tools, a purse and personal effects, chainsaw from the bed of a pickup truck, cigarettes, wallet and small amount of cash, gaso- line, papers from a glove box and vehicle registration and other documents, according to police logs.

Dayton State Farm Insur- ance Assistant Angela Black said State Farm does cover the theft of unlocked vehicles as well as the theft of items stolen from a vehicle, locked or otherwise.

Black said she recently had items stolen from her car and she was actually happy to have left it unlocked be- cause her husband's locked car, parked next to hers, was physically broken into for ac- cess to what was stolen from his vehicle. At least when her car was unlocked, she said, she didn't have to replace the window.

Although Black said she learned not to leave valuables in her car, which will hope- fully deter theft in the future.

Police logs of the incidents demonstrate the prowls took place at all hours of the day and night around the city.

There have been 67 total in- cidents since January of 2011, nearly one quarter of which took place on Second Street. Other common locations for the prowls were Third Street, Jackson Street, Dayton Ave- nue and Patit Avenue, together making up another quarter of the incidences.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office advises citi- zens to lock vehicle doors and roll up windows, avoid leaving keys, wallets, purses, cameras or other valuables in your vehicle and if valuable items must be stored in a vehicle, to keep them out of sight and not to store vehicle titles inside vehicles. The of- fice also encourages citizens to report all known or sus- pected vehicle prowls to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office immediately.

The sheriff's office de- fines a vehicle prowl by RCW 9A.52.095, unlawful entrance to a vehicle with the intent to commit a crime. Vehicle prowling is a class C felony according to the RCW.