Hot temps fuel rash of thefts.Byline: Rebecca Nolan The Register-Guard The recent heat wave raised more than just temperatures in Lane County. Police in Eugene and Springfield say more theft and burglary burglary, at common law, the breaking and entering of a dwelling house of another at night with the intent to commit a felony, whether the intent is carried out or not. reports are crossing their desks as people try to beat the record-breaking heat by leaving open windows and doors. By trying to stay cool, people inadvertently make themselves easy targets for thieves List of Thieves. Famous
"It has been a pattern for years," Springfield Police Sgt. Brent Carpenter said Wednesday. "When you start having people leave their windows open and their garages open and their doors open, we do have more of those kinds of crimes when someone comes in the middle of the night and steals a purse or grabs the car keys off the wall." Eugene Police have taken 58 burglary reports since July 15, when the weather really began to heat up, Sgt. Rich Stronach said. Property crimes detectives don't have hard numbers yet, but they say they're fielding more complaints than they do during cooler times of the year. The stolen property ranges from wallets and purses to bicycles and golf clubs. The burglaries happen at all hours of the day and night, sometimes as people sleep, he said. Police have received no reports of burglary-related violence so far. "This area is very bad for property crime already, but it just makes it a mecca when the bad guys don't even have to force open a window or door," Stronach said. As he spoke, officers were dispatched Dispatched was a Swedish melodic death metal band formed in 1992 by Daniel Lundberg. Their sound is very similar to the older Gothenburg style of early In Flames. Biography Dispatched was formed just before New Year's Eve of 1991 by Daniel Lundberg and Krister Andersson. to a burglary complaint. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the caller, someone removed a screen and climbed through a window to get inside the home. Police recognize that most people cannot keep their windows and doors sealed during triple-digit days. But they say there are ways to limit vulnerability. Getting to know the neighbors and keeping an eye out for suspicious-looking people lurking See lurk. (messaging, jargon) lurking - The activity of one of the "silent majority" in a electronic forum such as Usenet; posting occasionally or not at all but reading the group's postings regularly. around houses can help avert crime. Inexpensive window locks that allow a window to remain partially open are available at most hardware stores. Blocking the sliding mechanism with a dowel dowel /dow·el/ (dou´'l) a peg or pin for fastening an artificial crown or core to a natural tooth root, or affixing a die to a working model for construction of a crown, inlay, or partial denture. also works. Wireless alarms are also available for individual windows and doors. Placing items that will make noise on window sills (Arch.) the flat piece of wood, stone, or the like, at the bottom of a window frame. See also: Window can help alert homeowners to potential intruders. And a good old-fashioned watch dog doesn't hurt, either. The idea is to make your house less tempting by making it that much more difficult for a thief to do his dirty work. "You're trying to prevent the opportunist op·por·tun·ist n. One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences. op , the lazy thief," Stronach said. |
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