Editorial: Police warn public to lock their cars

We live in a quiet community that feels safe – and it is. But, sometimes things go amok, like juveniles testing door handles on vehicles to see if they can get in and find something interesting inside. When your car is gone, it upsets things a lot.
Recently, two cars in Van Buren Township were stolen by juveniles who drove them to Washtenaw County where the vehicles were recovered. The culprits were kids who had done this before and are being put through the juvenile court system. They found the key fobs in the unlocked cars. Another juvenile is suspected of stealing yet another vehicle with a key fob inside. He’s a repeat offender.
A woman who is recovering from a broken hip in Country Walk subdivision in Van Buren Township has two retired Detroit police officer neighbors watching over her. They made sure her car was parked inside her locked garage while she recovered because they told her that juveniles were trying door handles.
We’ve talked to another person who put some cash on her car seat so she wouldn’t have to take it into Meijer because she didn’t think it was safe. She covered it up, but left the car unlocked. You can guess the end of that story.
VBT Police Lt. Charles Bazzy said, “Locks were invented to keep people honest.” He asked parents to keep an eye on their children so they don’t end up in juvenile court after stealing items, or a car, that could make everyone unhappy.