The level of car theft is low in Lakewood, but the risk of theft persists, particularly if you’re among the Lakewood residents who leave a family car at the curb overnight because, well, the garage is full of other stuff. That may make you feel secure about your rakes and lawn mower, but how well protected is your car?
The City of Lakewood offers reassuring help. If you wish, we will mark your car with a distinctive Operation Lakewood Auto Watch (LAW) decal.
The city car theft prevention program grew out of a depressing crime statistic: The majority of stolen cars are lifted from in front of the owner’s home during the hours just before dawn, when thieves are unlikely to be noticed and car owners are asleep.
It’s not shopping center parking lots that drivers should most avoid, but the quiet street in front of their home, according to Sheriff’s car theft investigators. The majority of car thieves are teenagers and young adults. But, they're not in business for themselves. Most car theft is related to organized crime, according to the FBI.
It can take an expert thief as little as seven seconds and one screwdriver to break into a vehicle and less than a minute to drive away. But, you can turn the auto thief’s desire for speed against him.
Operation LAW identifies a participating Lakewood resident’s vehicle as being possibly stolen when it is on the road during early morning hours (between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.). The LAW decal on a car out during these hours gives law enforcement officers authorization to stop and investigate the vehicle’s occupants. If you use your vehicle during these early morning hours, this program is not for you. But if you do not drive during the wee hours of the morning and would like to keep your vehicle safe, you can enroll in the program at the Lakewood Sheriff’s Community Safety Center or the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station.
Since 1990, owners of more than a thousand cars have enrolled in the Operation LAW program and registered decals to shields their cars from theft during the vulnerable, predawn hours.
Auto theft is usually a crime of opportunity. After all, there are a lot of cars out there, and many of them are very much alike. If your car is only slightly less appealing as a target of theft, most thieves will move on. That’s where the Operation LAW decal comes in. It puts potential thieves on notice that your car comes with more than the usual risk for the thief.
For more information about Operation LAW, call the Crime Prevention Office at Lakewood City Hall at 866-9771, extension 2114 or by filling out the online service request form.
Click here for Operation LAW PDF form - print and fill out.
Theft prevention
For security during the day, Sheriff’s car theft experts recommend getting a steering wheel club, and using it. Clubs can be foiled, but how many car thieves will be that persistent?
Sheriff’s deputies also tell drivers to park with the car's front wheels turned into the curb and the steering wheel locked in this position. Blocking the wheels makes it harder for thieves to haul the car away with a tow truck.
Just about anything that makes a thief think twice about stealing your car – from fake alarm decals to a dummy alarm indicator stuck on the dash – will work sometimes.
Dirty tricks
The experts also suggest that car owners with a big investment to protect may want to engage in some "dirty tricks" to stall thieves. "Kill switches" can disable the car's electrical system. More sophisticated switches will allow the car to be started but later choke off the fuel supply.
For the car owner who has everything – and wants to keep it that way – installing an electronic tracking system may be the right way to go.
After a theft
If your car is stolen, time is your enemy; the longer you wait to phone in the theft, the farther away the criminals can drive. First, find a phone and call the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station.
After law enforcement has been notified, call your insurance carrier’s hotline for car thefts. They will instruct you on filing a claim. They may also help you in getting a temporary replacement vehicle.
Before your car becomes a statistic, put your vehicle registration and insurance information in a safe location and not in the car. You should also keep receipts of custom equipment you have installed in the automobile.
On the Web
California Highway Patrol article on vehicle theft:
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/brochures.html#theft
