Amarillo Is a Car Thief’s Paradise, Here’s How To Hold On To Your Wheels

I'll admit I'm new here but I learned quickly that the auto welcoming committee here in Amarillo was glad to bring me up to speed on my car's security or lack thereof. Ok... so my car got broken into. Lucky for me, I didn't lose anything big, it's just annoying to have to clean up the glorious mess that was left behind by the guy who made off with ashtray change and an old iPod filled with stuff that only a radio guy like me would appreciate.

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It turns out car theft in Amarillo is among the little annoyances of life in the golden spread. So much so that APD has a self reporting site for these incidents to speed up the process of dealing with it. I like the convivence but I miss the days of having an officer actually come out and dust for prints. Maybe its a cost cutting measure... whatever. But not losing a lot of stuff goes back to basics that we should all think about with our cars.

Keep it locked!

The number one reason cars get broken into or stolen is that they are simply unlocked. Let's face opportunity is knocking and a car thief just got the call. No need to break glass when all they have to do is open the door and before you know it you're a victim. If you happen to have one of those cars with push button codes keep the keypad clean its not hard to figure combos out if a few of the buttons are already worn.

Don't Advertise

If you're one of those folks who lives in your car, it might be time to take it inside. gym bags, laptop bags or anything sitting in plain view is always an invitation to break glass and yes police have reported cases where all the car thief took was the shoes in the gym bag. Gross!!!

Getting your car Etched

Here's something cool that's free here in the Amarillo area. The bad part is enough car thefts go on for this to be a thing but hey at least it's free right?  The Panhandle Auto Burglary and Theft Unit etches your cars Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) onto the glass which makes it harder for thieves to steal. simply because it costs money to redo glass. and when cars are getting stolen they want quick turnaround. The service is free and offered each Wednesday at the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 office. You may or may not get a little something extra from the insurance company for this too.