This is an important reminder to our members and residents in the community to please stay vigilant. The Board of Directors routinely monitors reports of crime in the area for vehicle break-ins and other miscellaneous crime via CrimeMapping.com, Ring's Neighbors App and Nextdoor. In this instance, it was closer to home with members contacting us of a crime yesterday morning.
On the afternoon of November 19th, we received a report from a member that they found a discarded bag of tools in the Circle N cul-de-sac that seemed to belong to someone living at Devon-Aire Estates. Upon checking their cameras, they noticed that at around 2 AM, there were individuals checking cars to see if anyone had left them open. We reviewed the community cameras and observed a black Nissan Altima that entered the community starting on the West side at 1:55 AM and leaving at 1:57 AM. Individuals living on or near 110th LN, 109th LN, 122nd PL and the portion of 122nd CT near those roads may have been affected if they left their vehicles unlocked.
The car hoppers then entered the East side of the community at 1:57 AM and exited at 2:12 AM. They checked cars all along Circle N which is where they discarded some of their stolen items and some cars on Circle E. Anyone living in those area roads may have been affected if they left their vehicles unlocked.
From the reports we have seen, these car hoppers were seen at the Devon-Aire Estate homes and went as far as Sable Chase. We contacted Police this morning and they requested copies of the videos. Unfortunately the car hoppers had no tag on the vehicle and were also dressed in all black clothing, from head to toe. Detectives came to the community this morning to see if there were any affected homeowners, which some members may have noticed. Any members that were victimized by these car hoppers are asked to please contact us so we can put you in touch with detectives. Any members that may have video of the incident, please forward a copy of the video to us and in turn, we will forward that to the assigned detective. We want to thank those of you who contacted us already and have forwarded your concerns to the investigating detectives.
As always we ask members to take precautions so they don't become a victim. Make it a routine to lock all your car doors at night. To prevent Car hoppers from entering your car, please make sure you leave your cars doors locked at all times and never leave any valuables in your cars. Individuals that car hop tend to always go through unlocked cars because it attracts less attention. If you see individuals going house to house and checking out cars, call Police right away. We also urge our member to please leave their front porch lights on all night long in order to deter such thefts. If you are concerned about the electrical costs, please keep in mind that with today's LED light bulbs, power consumption is very negligible. The few pennies you pay per day to run LED lights will far outweigh the aggravation of having your vehicle's content stolen. Security cameras like a Ring doorbell, Wyze Cams, Blink, Nest and similar devices can also help deter such crimes, some of which are very affordable.
