Crime Alert

[jw34]

Want to pass some info to my Berks County friends.

There has been a recent (last two weeks +/-) rash of daytime burglaries in rural areas of Berks. Brecknock, Cumru, Robeson, Union, Alsace, Exeter Townships just off the top of my head. Homes in secluded rural areas have been burglarized while residents are away at work. Please use your deadbolts, dogs, alarms, and report any suspicious activity or vehicles to PD

There has also been several recent (11/21-11/23) overnight thefts from unlocked vehicles in the Mifflin area. (Cumru, Mohnton, Shillington). Wallets, GPS units, and loose change is disappearing. Please lock your cars, and again... Report any suspicious activity.

And tell your neighbors too.

[MJH]

Good to know, thanks!

Does this mean that I should hold off posting my 11 spare GPS units for sale in the classified section?

[streaker69]

Does this mean I should hold off posting my spare 11 GPS units for sale in the classified section?

It's always interesting seeing car electronics for sale on CL where they say it's "brand new" but they don't have any of the wiring or mounts.

[DavidTM]

It's always interesting seeing car electronics for sale on CL where they say it's "brand new" but they don't have any of the wiring or mounts.

...You know, I was just going to post the 7 extra units that I seem to have just lying around on the for sale forum. Hmmm. Now, I don't live in that area....but I was "passing thru" it a few weeks ago. It's a big place. Took me several days just to drive completely through it.

Oh well.....I just wish I could find the mounts. I have some of the wiring...it's pretty frayed....that which I do have.

[MJH]

Looks like it's happening again. My wife's car, unlocked and parked in the driveway, was a target last night. Apparently Exeter Twp Police had a busy morning filling out reports from other residents in the development. Sounds like the suspects hit just about every unlocked car on this street.

We only lost a GPS and spare change, and luckily it hasn't progressed in my hood to them entering homes like other areas of Berks County recently. I get that it's not very bright to leave the car unlocked, but I'd rather lose a $100 GPS versus losing a $100 GPS AND having to replace a window.

I see this thread being bumped again in the future as the virus of Reading spreads outside of the city.

[jw34]

I'm

Looks like it's happening again. My wife's car, unlocked and parked in the driveway, was a target last night. Apparently Exeter Twp Police had a busy morning filling out reports from other residents in the development. Sounds like the suspects hit just about every unlocked car on this street.

We only lost a GPS and spare change, and luckily it hasn't progressed in my hood to them entering homes like other areas of Berks County recently. I get that it's not very bright to leave the car unlocked, but I'd rather lose a $100 GPS versus losing a $100 GPS AND having to replace a window.

I see this thread being bumped again in the future as the virus of Reading spreads outside of the city.

Yep, I heard the calls coming in this morning. And I know exactly where your driveway is :-). If my wife leaves her car unlocked, they'll only get empty cigarette packs and used tissues.

Information that hasn't been shared yet.... Same thing happened earlier in the week(mon-tues) in Shillington/Cumru/Wyomissing areas. All unlocked cars entered overnight during heavy rain. GPS, laptops, etc.. Taken.

Also two incidents this week (Shillington & Wyomissing) of tires/rims stolen off parked cars.

ETA: I've heard the unlocked car vs broken window theory before. But in my experience, breaking a car window to steal from inside the car is a VERY rare occurrence in this area. In the last 10+ years, I can count on one hand how many of those I've seen. It is much more common for the ghetto kids to simply go fishing for unlocked cars. You'd be amazed by what some people leave in an unlocked car, yes... Even guns.
Smashing the window makes too much noise. They usually don't even fully shut the car door when they exit, to avoid making too much noise. One of the things we watch for when patrolling neighborhoods at night is dome lights left on in cars. It's a good indicator that the door wasn't fully shut and the ghetto boys are in the neighborhood on the prowl.
They usually hit target rich environments with a lot of on street parking or cars parked close to the street in short driveways. Apartment complexes too.
If you happen to have recorded the serial # of the stolen item, check the local pawn shops. Advise the manager and they'll put it on a watch list. Most arrests in these cases come after the item owner finds the item at a pawn shop. The pawn shops require photo ID from the sellers.

[Gunsnwater]

Thanks for the heads up.

[jw34]

Thanks for the heads up.

I see you're listed as Mohnton. The ones in Cumru were in the Montrose area up behind Kmart. The Shillington tire theft was a few blocks east of the Wawa. And there was also a tire theft off a truck a few weeks ago on the lot of the Penske dealer. (The overflow stone lot behind Walgreens)
Keep your eyes peeled.

[MJH]

I'm

Yep, I heard the calls coming in this morning. And I know exactly where your driveway is :-). If my wife leaves her car unlocked, they'll only get empty cigarette packs and used tissues.

Information that hasn't been shared yet.... Same thing happened earlier in the week(mon-tues) in Shillington/Cumru/Wyomissing areas. All unlocked cars entered overnight during heavy rain. GPS, laptops, etc.. Taken.

Also two incidents this week (Shillington & Wyomissing) of tires/rims stolen off parked cars.

ETA: I've heard the unlocked car vs broken window theory before. But in my experience, breaking a car window to steal from inside the car is a VERY rare occurrence in this area. In the last 10+ years, I can count on one hand how many of those I've seen. It is much more common for the ghetto kids to simply go fishing for unlocked cars. You'd be amazed by what some people leave in an unlocked car, yes... Even guns.
Smashing the window makes too much noise. They usually don't even fully shut the car door when they exit, to avoid making too much noise. One of the things we watch for when patrolling neighborhoods at night is dome lights left on in cars. It's a good indicator that the door wasn't fully shut and the ghetto boys are in the neighborhood on the prowl.
They usually hit target rich environments with a lot of on street parking or cars parked close to the street in short driveways. Apartment complexes too.
If you happen to have recorded the serial # of the stolen item, check the local pawn shops. Advise the manager and they'll put it on a watch list. Most arrests in these cases come after the item owner finds the item at a pawn shop. The pawn shops require photo ID from the sellers.

Now that you mention it, every firearm that I owned was on the back seat. I was just going to wait for an upcoming boating accident to report them missing, but this sounds more plausible seeing as I don't own a boat. Thanks!

Yep, door wasn't fully closed.

So that's not done by police? I provided the sn of the GPS, but just figured they would add it to a list of stolen items. You're saying that's left up to the victim to do on their own?

[jw34]

Now that you mention it, every firearm that I owned was on the back seat. I was just going to wait for an upcoming boating accident to report them missing, but this sounds more plausible seeing as I don't own a boat. Thanks!

Yep, door wasn't fully closed.

So that's not done by police? I provided the sn of the GPS, but just figured they would add it to a list of stolen items. You're saying that's left up to the victim to do on their own?

We enter the item with s/n into NCIC. That way if the s/n is ever run by a cop elsewhere, it'll hit that it's a stolen item. Some depts will check with local pawn shops if time avails, some depts don't and simply take the report. I always suggest the victim call or visit area pawn shops because you never know when a detective will get to it. In our case, we are severely understaffed, and I imagine a theft from vehicle case gets out-prioritized by other cases and shuffled to the bottom of the stack of files on the Detective's desk. By the time the detective gets to it, the item could have been taken in and resold by the pawn shop already.
Most stolen electronics around here end up at Pawn Plus on Lancaster Ave, or Cash Converters in the Kenhorst Plaza. There's another one out in Muhlenberg, but I forget the name.