Springfield neighborhood sees rash of car break-ins

A rash of car break-ins in one Springfield area has neighbors on alert and police warning homeowners to never keep their valuables in unattended vehicles.

More than 10 reports of shattered windows or thefts from vehicles have been reported to the Springfield Police Division in the South Belmont Avenue neighborhood over the past week, said Sgt. Brian Peabody.

William Domer, who lives on South Belmont Avenue, had a window shattered on a truck that was sitting in his driveway.

“This is someone that doesn’t care,” he said as he looked at a softball-sized hole in the window, picking at pieces of the shattered glass.

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“Doesn’t have any concern about the law-abiding, hardworking citizen out here — they just want to take what you have and move on,” he said.

Neighbors near Domer on Irwin Street and Lexington Avenue have also been hit, he said. But he’s also talked to people in nearby neighborhoods that are dealing with the same issue.

“Just that whole corridor up and down Belmont Avenue,” Domer said.

Some of the reports, Peabody said, were of items stolen from vehicles, but others were reports of damage to cars with nothing stolen.

“The best thing that I think people can do is take everything out of your vehicle that you possibly can,” the sergeant said.

The less stuff in a vehicle for a potential thief to see, the better, he said.

“We have a lot of phone cords taken, GPS’s and stereos,” Peabody said.

People can take other steps to try to prevent thefts in their neighborhoods, police said, such as having security lighting on driveways.

“I’ve got LED flood lights on my garage,” Domer said, pointing to lights that he said activate at dusk and turn off at dawn.

READ MORE: Thieves target parking lots in Springfield

But the thieves were brazen enough to come into his driveway, he said.

“It’s getting worse,” Domer said.

Reporting any sort of suspicious person near cars or any crime can help police patrol areas where there are problems,” Peabody said.

“Every little bit of information can help us,” he said.

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, Peabody also wants shoppers to be careful when they’re parking in store lots.

More than one car a day is broken into in the city of Springfield on average, according to Springfield Police Division data analyzed by the Springfield New-Sun, and many of the thefts occur along the city’s major shopping corridors.

“Lock packages in a trunk if possible,” he said.

Also, parking in areas of lots that are well-lit and have the most foot traffic deters some thieves, he said.

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