First call I heard this morning when I went on duty; “Reporting party stating that their car was just stolen, vehicle was warming up unattended in the driveway and when reporting party went outside the car was gone”.

Duh……

We try to remind people of this every year when the weather starts turning cold. When it starts getting brisk in the mornings, people take chances warming up their cars in the morning while they tend to other things in the house. Or, they pull into a 7-11 to grab something and leave their car running in the parking lot. Everyone believes it won’t happen to them; that is until it happens to them. If you leave your car running unattended to warm up or leave it running while you dash into a store, it’s not a matter of IF it will happen, it’s a matter of WHEN it will happen.

People always say “I was only inside for a minute”. It takes less than 5 seconds for someone to jump in the car and speed away. Not only with your car, but your laptop and purse or wallet on the seat too. Crooks cruise through neighborhoods on cold mornings looking for the telltale sign of steam coming from the exhaust of an unattended car. They dump a stolen vehicle they’ve driven a few days down the street and jump in yours, all warmed up and toasty for them. They’ll use it a few days and then go hunting for a “fresh” one. Or the school kids complaining about the long walk to school can’t resist a free ride already running and waiting for them.

When the weather gets cold we get calls EVERY DAY about vehicles stolen while they were running unattended. Everyone believes “it won’t happen to me”. It doesn’t matter where you live, affluent area or not, rural area or a tract home, it can and will happen sooner or later.

And don’t forget the expense and time to have the locks on your house re-keyed because the thief probably now has the keys to your home, business etc.

So the choice is yours; warm up your car by sitting in it a few minutes or by driving down the street slowly OR spend your morning calling the police, insurance company, banks, credit card companies etc………    

© Coptalk

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Man Dressed-Up as Breathalyzer Busted for DUI

James Miller was released to the custody of his girlfriend. (Police Photo)

November 03, 2009

OXFORD, Ohio – An 18-year-old Ohio man decided to dress up as a breathalyzer for a Halloween party. What do you think happened next?

James Miller was arrested after driving the wrong way down a one-way street. His car’s headlights weren’t on, and he had several different Ohio IDs on him.

Police say he had an open can of beer with him, as well as unopened cans.

At the police station, he blew a breathalyzer and was found to be nearly twice over the legal limit.

Miller’s been charged with underage drinking and DUI.

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Girl, 13, found riding in cardboard box atop van

75 comments Oct. 5, 2009 05:07 PM
Associated Press

ALBERTVILLE, Ala. – An Alabama woman has been arrested and accused of endangering the welfare of a child after police say she let her daughter ride in a cardboard box on top of their van.

Albertville Police spokesman Sgt. Jamie Smith said the 37-year-old woman was arrested Sunday after police received a call about a minivan on a state highway with a child riding on top.

Smith said the woman told police the box was too big to go inside the van, and that her daughter was inside the box to hold it down.

Smith said the mother told officers it was safe because she had the box secured to the van with a clothes hanger.

The 13-year-old daughter wasn’t harmed and was turned over to a relative. A jail worker said the mother was out on bond Monday.

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(Found on the web)

Now here’s a hard core drinker

The driver hit the left turn light at 48th Ave.and 27th St. and sheared off the light post at the base, and then kept driving on about 2 miles to Squires Four Pub, where he stopped for more beer!! How impaired do you have to be to NOT notice that you are carrying a stop light?  ( I wonder if the light was green? )

It took several good hard pulls with a backhoe to get the pole free.

Now that’s what you call drunk driving!

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