The Yuma Police Department is warning residents about "smash and grab" vehicle burglaries that have increased in the last ten days, according to Seargent Lori Franklin with YPD.
These criminals are opportunists who will smash and grab something they see in a vehicle and be gone in minutes, Sgt. Franklin explained.
"So far right now it’s in parking lots, it’s not like one general area of town. But it could happen anywhere, it could happen to a car parked on the street," she said." So we just want the community to know to please not leave anything of value in plain sight in your vehicle."
Vehicle burglaries happen around dusk and sunrise when there is enough light to see what's in your vehicle, and still dark enough to provide cover for criminals, said Sgt. Franklin.
The best defense, Sgt. Franklin says is to make sure nothing is in your vehicle that could tempt a would-be thief. Like the old adage “out of sight out of mind.”