St. Louis County Police are warning motorists not to leave valuables in their vehicles in plain sight after a rash of car break-ins at Fenton City Park.
Bold thieves broke into six vehicles at the park, 1215 Larkin Williams Road, in broad daylight in just one week, St. Louis County Police spokesman Police Officer Ben Granda said.
Between 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sept. 11, thieves shattered windows in two vehicles and stole purses out of them, he reported.
Four days later, between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sept. 15, windows were shattered in two more vehicles and again purses were stolen, Granda said.
The next day, between 2:50 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Sept. 16, two more vehicles had their windows shattered and a purse was taken from one of the vehicles. Nothing was taken from the second vehicle, Granda said.
In all those cases, the purses were left in plain sight, he said.
Granda said people need to take more precautions to prevent thefts, even when they’re close to home.
“People should know that crime can happen in any area or ZIP code at any time,” he said. “Thieves that break into vehicles target parking lots with many vehicles on them. They look for valuables in plain view – purses, laptops, wallets – and will hit as many vehicles as possible. All this happens in less than a minute.
“Citizens should park smart and keep valuables out of view. Always be aware of your surroundings and contact police if you observe any suspicious activity.”