If You Don't Lock Your Car, Mt. Lebo Police Will Do It For You.
Posted: 4:34 pm EDT May 28, 2009Updated: 5:47 pm EDT May 28, 2009
MT. LEBANON, Pa. -- Mt. Lebanon police are using some unusual methods in the hopes of stopping a string of break-ins.
Those who leave their vehicles unlocked will find a card squeezed between the steering wheel and the speedometer, reminding the drivers to lock their cars.
“Very good idea. You don't need to encourage any of the crooks today. They find they're own way of doing it,” said Mt. Lebanon resident Mike McElligott.
When Mt. Lebanon police find vehicles open, they also put cell phones and other personal items in the consoles, so they're not visible, and lock the cars up.
“The best thing we can do for the citizens is remind them please lock the car doors and remove valuables,” said Ken Truver, police chief.
Police warn even if drivers lock their cars, cell phones, keys and money should not be left out and visible. Drivers are also encouraged not to leave expensive GPS units on the dashboard.
Channel 11 took a look around Mt. Lebanon to see if they found expensive items visible in cars unattended. It didn’t take long to find a vehicle with a pricey GPS unit mounted on the dashboard
Ok, I understand that they want to decrease the rate of motor vehicle burglary, but if I were to choose to leave my vehicle unlocked with my GPS on the dash shouldn't I be allowed to do so. I know they're not penalizing anyone for leaving their vehicle unlocked, but still, is it even legal?
3 comments:
The acid test will be, if they find an unlocked car with a handgun tucked away, are they going to tuck that in the console, or will they seize it, run the serial number, test it for ballistic matching, etc.?
That's a slippery slope they're treading there.
I was just going to ask - what happens if they find drugs in the car? Looks like AD beat me to it.
Yes, you should be able to leave expensive stuff in plain sight, and your car unlocked.
But when they get robbed, they are going to call the police and the insurance company. This raises my taxes, for the law enforcement visit, and raises my insurance rates for the claim. So they don't have to pay for their stupidity, we do.
And if they are leaving functional firearms in an unlocked car, they are beyond stupid, they are negligent.
That being said, having the police rummaging around in a car without a warrant, the owners explicit permission, or clear evidence of a crime is unconstitutional.
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