Dale Phipps, Chief of Police

200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660

http://KingsportTN.gov/City-Services/Police-Department• www.KingsportPDBlog.com

Very rarely does a criminal force entry into a vehicle or “hotwire” a vehicle in order to steal it. Almost all auto burglaries are to unlocked vehicles, and almost all stolen vehicles were stolen when the owner left the key or electronic key fob in it.

These are, more often than not, crimes of opportunity that are easily preventable by following these tips:

· Never leave your vehicle unlocked while unattended.

· Never leave the key (or electronic key fob) inside your parked and unoccupied vehicle.

· Never leave your car key (or electronic key fob) in an unsecure location.

· Never leave your vehicle running unless you are actually in it.

· Never leave items of real or perceived value in plain sight inside your vehicle.

“By imploring citizens to practice these basic strategies, we are absolutely not blaming the victims of these crimes,” stressed K.P.D. Public Information Officer Tom Patton. “Criminal acts are the responsibility of the criminals and the criminals alone; however, it is incumbent upon all law abiding citizens to do their part in helping prevent these crimes of opportunity from happening, especially if it is something as simple as removing a key and locking a door.”

Kingsport Police Department Professional Standards Unit

423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-343-9749 (FAX)

ThomasMPatton