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Thieves target 'easy victims' when stealing from cars

It's the ultimate crime of opportunity.

A car is parked on the street in the middle of the night, the doors are unlocked, and there, sitting in the cup holder, is a pile of coins and bills.

By morning, that cash might be gone.

Milton has suffered a rash of thefts from vehicles in the last few months, but it's not the only community where the thefts happen, local police officials said.

Janesville police have dealt with thefts from vehicles for years, Deputy Chief David Moore said. Local businesses, such as the Riverfront Athletic Club and Rock Theatre, have posted signs to remind customers to lock their doors and take valuables with them.

"It's nothing new in the community, and it'll go in streaks," Moore said.

The Milton streak has led to 15 thefts in the last six weeks, Chief Jerry Schuetz said. The thief or thieves target unlocked cars, usually taking change or small electronics. One man had more than $1,000 stolen from his glove box, he said.

"They attack easy victims," Schuetz said.

The department has a couple of "persons of interest" but no suspects, he said.

Edgerton also has experienced sporadic outbreaks of thefts from vehicles, Lt. Bob Bolgrihn said. Several vehicle owners reported thefts the morning of Dec. 20, mostly along Blaine Street.

"The kids call it ‘car shopping,'" Bolgrihn said.

Moore said many of the thieves are drug addicts.

"They'll take change, stereo equipment, anything that can be traded in for drugs," he said.

If the thieves are caught at all, they're usually caught in the act, he said.

That's why it's important for people to call the police if they see anything suspicious, Schuetz said.

People can prevent most thefts by locking car and garage doors and keeping valuables—including GPS units, laptops and stereo equipment—out of sight, he said.

Schuetz said it's hard to tell if thefts from vehicles are increasing, but he wouldn't be surprised if they become more common as the economy falters.

"With the current state of the economy, it's certainly possible that people are looking for other sources of income, and certainly theft might be one of those," he said.

'THEY'D STEAL WHAT THEY NEED AND GET OUT'

Usually, people who steal from vehicles are looking for the easy score. They target unlocked cars and take whatever they can grab easily, local law enforcement officials say.

But that wasn't the case in a string of thefts from vehicles parked in lots next to the Interstate this year, said David Moore, deputy chief of the Janesville Police Department.

The department commended officer Valerie E. Southwick on Dec. 19 for her role in catching the suspects in the theft ring, clearing 14 crimes committed in Janesville.

Southwick analyzed thefts occurring in August through November, reviewing types of vehicles, items stolen, location, time of day and day of week, according to the commendation.

The thieves were stealing GPS units and breaking into cars to get them if necessary, Moore said. They targeted cars with visible units or mounts, suspecting the vehicles with mounts contained units in their glove compartments, he said.

"They were just in there for a few minutes," he said. "They'd steal what they need and get out."

Southwick contacted communities bordering the Interstate and learned that an Illinois jurisdiction had developed two suspects in similar thefts. One of the suspects had ties to Janesville.

She traveled with a detective to Rockford, Ill., to interview the suspects. Because of her investigation, cases have been referred to the Rock County District Attorney's office, the commendation says.

Southwick also learned of related crimes in Iowa and shared the information with officials there, the commendation says.