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The Darien Police Department issued an alert on Thursday, Jan. 10, as they continue to experience an increase in overnight-hour burglaries into unlocked vehicles.
Police said that the trend is not isolated to Darien, and other municipalities in Fairfield County and throughout Connecticut have been plagued by similar burglaries at increasing rates. Det. James Palmieri said that many of the crimes are perpetrated by juvenile offenders, who, when caught, inform officers that it is common knowledge that towns like Darien are “target-rich environments.”
Palmieri said that recently, residential burglaries have also been committed in conjunction with the trend of increasing motor vehicle thefts. Overnight, on Wednesday, Jan. 9, there were two such instances in Darien.
According to police, in one of the incidents, a resident was woken up to the sound of a car being stolen from the driveway. The vehicle had been left unlocked with the keys inside. While stealing the car, the burglar also struck a second car that was parked in the driveway before speeding away.
In a second incident, a resident was woken to a sound that they believed to be a family member arriving home. As the resident left the bedroom, they found an intruder in the home, who fled when he saw the homeowner approach. The investigation into the second incident determined that several items had been stolen and parts of the home were ransacked. Both vehicles in the driveway were also entered, which had been unlocked.
In addition to the stolen vehicle and home invasion, police in Darien received multiple reports of motor vehicle burglaries.
“In the overwhelming majority of these incidents, the vehicles and/or residences were left unlocked,” police wrote in an email on Thursday. “The Darien Police Department continues to encourage residents to make themselves a ‘hard target’ by simply locking their vehicle and/or residence. With the apparent increase in residential burglaries in Fairfield County, we don’t want Darien to be known as an easy target.
“The Darien Police Department remains committed to aggressively investigating the criminals who commit these crimes, but our greater concern is for the safety and security of our residents. We once again ask for Darien residents to take proactive measures to reduce the likelihood of being a victim of a burglary.”
Simple steps that can be taken include:
- Lock Your Vehicle;
- Remove the keys (in particular proximity keys) when exiting your vehicle;
- Remove attractive valuables from your vehicle when exiting;
- Do not store proximity keys in an area close to the associated vehicle;
- Lock your Residence;
- If applicable, arm your home security system (or consider installation);
- Consider the installation of security cameras;
- Keep valuables away from doors/windows in your residence;
If your residence has a security camera system, and it records anything out of the ordinary, please contact the Darien Police. Even if you are not the victim of a crime, you may have footage that is of interest to investigators.
"The suspects that commit these crimes are often involved in other, more serious crimes," Palmieri noted. "Vehicles stolen in Darien have been involved in more serious incidents in Fairfield County. By working together, we can make Darien less attractive to those who wish to come to our town and commit these dangerous acts. As always, if you have concerns, information about an incident, or are the victim of a crime, please don’t hesitate to contact us."
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