The string of motor vehicle burglaries that began last month is continuing, despite some residents taking precautions. Last week, six more cars were hit in Darien, with four occurring on May 7. In all, as many as 16 similar robberies have occurred since the beginning of April, with 13 between April 26 and May 8.
Unlike previous weeks, however, when the suspects mainly went after unlocked cars, two of last weeks robberies included forced entry via broken windows. Sgt. Jeremiah Marron of the Darien Police thinks the escalation is a symptom of the previous attempts success. Its not enough of a deterrent, for a car to be locked, said Marron. They figure theyll break in if theyre already there.
Most of the items taken were wallets or small electronics, such as GPS systems and MP3 players. In some recent incidents, however, the suspects attempted to steal car radios and air bags. Marron said those burglaries were unusual, because criminals rarely go after those items anymore. He is also particularly worried about a handful of incidents when items containing personal information were stolen. Then you start to worry about identity theft, he said.
All police patrols are staying vigilant, hoping to catch suspects in the act. But we cant be everywhere at once, Marron said. He advised residents to make sure their car doors are locked, park in well-lit areas or garages. He lalso said valuables should be kept out of sight.
Darien Police are working with neighboring towns with similar incidents to share leads, but Marron said he currently does not have any information about possible suspects.
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