TEXARKANA, TEXAS – The Texarkana Texas Police Department has experienced a recent upsurge in burglaries and is asking for citizen assistance in preventing more from occurring.
The majority of the forty-six burglaries reported in Texarkana Texas during November were in the areas of the city north of New Boston Road. Slightly more than half of that number were vehicle break ins and, in 92 percent of those cases, the vehicle had been left unsecured in some way by their owners.
In some instances, multiple vehicles in neighborhoods were victimized the same night. Assistant Chief Kevin Schutte said, “We believe the suspects are being dropped off late at night in an area of the city and then walking through the neighborhoods checking for unlocked car doors. Once they find one, they remove anything of value that can easily be carried. That has included money and guns.”
Officers are encouraging citizens to take these basic steps to help protect their property:
- Always lock their vehicle and take the keys with them when they get out.
- Do not leave valuables inside the vehicle. If something absolutely must be left in the vehicle, it should be placed out of sight.
- Trim trees and bushes around their house that might provide a hiding place for a burglar.
- Insure that the exterior of their home is well lit. Motion detector lights may also provide an additional deterrent.
- Become active in their local Neighborhood Watch group or help organize one if it doesn’t already exist. Promptly report suspicious persons or vehicles that they see in their neighborhoods to police.
For more information about crime prevention and Neighborhood Watch, citizens can call the Texarkana Texas Police Department at 903-798-3116.
