Champaign Police Reminds Public to “Lock Up” Following Recent Vehicle Burglaries

The Champaign Police Department is currently investigating multiple cases involving unknown offenders who break into vehicles and remove items of value. Over the past several days, the department has taken multiple reports of burglary to vehicles occurring throughout the city. Many of these burglaries occurred when victims left their property (wallets, purses, backpacks, etc.) in their vehicle in plain sight.

To help prevent future burglaries, the Champaign Police Department reminds all citizens to ‘Lock it, Hide it, Keep it.’ Lock your vehicle every time you leave it unattended, hide personal possessions in your trunk or under a seat or take them with you when leaving your vehicle. Always remember to remove valuables from your vehicle once home.

To help reduce the likelihood of falling victim to vehicle burglary, please follow these additional tips:

-Lock your vehicle doors and take your keys with you when not in use—even in your driveway.

-Do not leave your vehicle running unoccupied—it only takes a moment for someone to jump in and take off.

-Do not leave unattended personal belongings in plain sight inside your vehicle, no matter where it is parked.

-Don’t leave mail in vehicle with the address label visible.

-Mount electronic equipment so that you can easily remove it. When leaving your vehicle, remove GPS, Bluetooth, and other equipment from plain view and lock it in your trunk or take it with you.

-Consider installing alarms and/or “kill switch” devices in vehicles to help prevent break-ins.

-Do not leave spare keys in your car, even if you keep your door locked.

Anyone with information regarding vehicle burglaries are asked to contact the Champaign Police Department Investigations Division at 217-351-4545. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at www.373tips.com; or the “P3 Tips” mobile app.

Champaign Police reminds citizens that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous.  Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.