BY JENNIFER CROWLEY
At the January 9th Scottsville Village Board of Trustees meeting, Captain Jeff Wagner of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Zone Three Substation, spoke to a group of residents concerned with increasing crime activity. Specifically, thefts of devices, cash and other valuable items from unlocked vehicles during overnight hours.
“This is a historically low crime community so seeing a trend emerge over time caught our attention and we agree it is a significant issue,” stated Captain Wagner. The Captain then proceeded to focus his comments largely on steps residents can take to reduce the chances of becoming a victim.
“First of all, do not leave valuables in your vehicle. If you have to do this for some reason, lock them in your trunk or conceal them as best you can. Do this for any non-valuables that may look interesting, even a backpack of dirty laundry. Secondly, lock your vehicles at all times, even when in the garage or carport,” stated Captain Wagner. He stressed that in most cases, windows are not being broken because beyond the noise that would make, the act is a misdemeanor crime with possible jail time.
While this discussion was very focused on preventive actions, the Captain offered insight on why certain items may be attractive to thieves. Anything electronic can be sold for pennies on the dollar at a pawn shop while a personal check can provide enough information to commit identify theft even if the account itself has a low balance. And beyond being inconvenient, a stolen set of keys or garage door opener can lead to the commission of additional crimes down the line.
Lighting was also discussed as a strong deterrent, specifically newer LED lighting that uses very little electricity yet are much brighter than standard light bulbs but just easy to install. Given the choice of a car parked in darkness versus one under a light, a thief will always opt for the less conspicuous option.
In addition to taking preventive steps to protect oneself and property from theft, the idea that a community can collectively stop crime was a clear message that Captain Wagner delivered. He explained that in interviewing individuals that have committed these crimes in the past it became evident that once an area has started to yield diminishing returns, a new community will become a target. “We historically have not had this problem in Scottsville because it was always an unrecognized area for criminals to have success.”
In order to solve this crime and ideally prevent it from happening in the future, residents need to know that for any petty larceny, even a few dollars out of unlocked car, a call to 9-1-1 should be made. Without consistent reporting of the crime it is challenging for investigators to understand the true scope of the problem or process possible clues. Captain Wagner urged those in attendance to not worry about ‘bothering’ the police over trivial manners and summed is up this way, “If someone steals $5 out of your car, call us. And do it in a timely manner. You may not get it back but if we can understand if the act is part of an emerging trend we can start working it, and pay more attention to it. It is never a bother and even if it takes an hour to get to you, we want the information.”
As for the status of the investigation, Captain Wagner characterized it as ‘ongoing.’ The theory is that there is a transient group of individuals behind the crime, moving from town to town all over the county. Not surprisingly this type of crime is hard to stop and prosecute because the stolen items move quickly just as the perpetrators move quickly from car to car, upwards of 300 cars per night.
In a bit of an ironic twist, additional larcenies were reported overnight following the meeting as well as the following night, Wednesday January 10th. However on that night, according to eyewitness reports, police caught an individual in the act of rifling through a car parked on private property. This individual was seen being led away by officers.
Only time will tell if the rash of larceny and theft will diminish as a result of increased police activity and homeowner awareness of preventive measures. In the meantime, residents are highly encouraged to keep these two deterrent measures in mind: take the extra minute at the end of the day to make sure your doors are locked and call 9-1-1 if you become a victim of this crime no matter how small the value of the item(s) taken.
