- November 14, 2024
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Thieves who've stolen items from dozens of cars recently are mostly “kids going along checking vehicles to see if they’re open,” Sheriff James L. Manfre said at a City Council workshop May 10.
Too often, they are.
Rarely do these thieves bother breaking a window, Manfre said, so when they come across a locked car, they move on to the next possible target.
“Please don’t leave your vehicle unlocked,” Manfre said. “It’s just asking for potential trouble.” So is leaving valuables in sight, he said.
Recently burgled items include more than 40 firearms. Stolen guns often end up in the hands of people who couldn’t buy one legally, Manfre said.
Despite the thefts, Manfre said, Flagler County is a safe community. Its 2014 crime rate of 2,073.2 crimes per 100,000 people is lower than Duval’s (4,705.7), Volusia’s (3,551.0), Putnam’s (3,538.2) or St. Johns (2,130.2).
Part of the problem, Manfre said, is that many new residents, feeling they’re in a safe place, relax the cautions they might use elsewhere.
“Just a minimum amount of effort would prevent a maximum amount of valuables stolen,” he said.
| Thefts from cars increasing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category: | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Jan-March 2016 | |||||
| Burglary | 362 | 415 | 286 | 339 | 70 | |||||
| Theft (all) | 1,255 | 1,185 | 1,221 | 1,191 | 253 | |||||
| Theft (from cars) | 436 | 386 | 399 | 461 | 89 | |||||
| Stolen vehicle | 63 | 58 | 65 | 93 | 23 | |||||
| Numbers are from Palm Coast and unincorporated Flagler County. |
