Along with spring flowers, Jefferson County residents are seeing signs sprout up along roadways.
Near the end of April the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office began posting signs around the county asking residents to remember to lock up their vehicles and keep valuables out of sight.
“Most of the crimes we are seeing are attributed to unlocked or unsecured vehicles, and it is very rare for suspects to break into vehicles, unless there is something visible of value,” Sheriff Dave Marshak said.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said the Sheriff’s Office purchased 150 signs with a large Sheriff’s Office badge in the middle and the saying, “Together we can reduce crime. Please remember to keep valuable items out of sight and lock your vehicle.”
The Sheriff’s Office paid $919 for the signs, Bissell said.
Marshak said the signs primarily have been placed in subdivisions in northern Jefferson County near I-55, Hwy. 21 and Hwy. 30.
“We continue to get signs out in strategic locations,” Marshak said. “Target areas include subdivisions close to major roadways, which is where suspect activity has been predominant.”
The Sheriff’s Office received reports of 107 vehicle thefts and 83 thefts from vehicles from Jan. 1 through April 30, and many of those thefts were from unlocked vehicles, Bissell said.
He said 444 vehicle thefts were reported to the Sheriff’s Office in 2020 and 363 vehicle thefts were reported in 2019, after receiving 316 reports of vehicle thefts in 2018.
In 2019, the Sheriff’s Office started keeping track of how many vehicles that were stolen had been left unlocked.
The agency also tracks how many thefts were perpetrated by someone the victim knew who had access to the keys, Bissell said.
He said in 2020, 375 of the 444 stolen vehicles were either unlocked or stolen by someone with access to the keys.
Of the 363 stolen vehicles in 2019, Bissell said 304 either had been left unlocked or someone who had access to the keys stole them.
The Sheriff’s Office also reported 480 thefts from vehicles in 2020, and just like when vehicles are stolen, items are typically stolen from unlocked vehicles.
“When we make it easy, criminals will continue to return to the same areas,” Marshak said.
The Sheriff’s Office has received some positive feedback about the signs, including requests from residents to have signs placed in their subdivisions, Marshak said.
“We didn’t expect to get that” he said. “If someone asks for one, we will try to get one out there for them.”
The Sheriff’s Office also received complaints that the signs shame victims who have had things stolen from their unlocked vehicles.
“These signs are not about victim shaming,” Marshak said.
“You see the posts online where people think we are trying to blame victims. All we are looking for is a little bit of help from the community in keeping crime down.”