Police in Cincinnati are helping citizens avoid auto insurance claims by issuing report cards. Vehicle security report cards, that is.
The law enforcement officers in the Ohio city are leaving notes on parked cars warning owners to remove their GPS equipment, laptop computers, or other tech toys in their vehicles, where thieves are likely to see them.
These notes, they say, are not traffic tickets. Rather, they’re reminders that while car break-ins are fairly common, they’re also preventable. It’s surprising, police say, how many people leave valuables in their cars, in plain sight.
Are these friendly notes helping? Actually, yes. The number of break-ins in three Cincinnati neighborhoods that are often targeted for such things dropped from 125 in July to 66 last month.
This program isn’t the first public awareness campaign the Cincinnati police have tried. Last year, they tried urging drivers to leave their valuable personal items stowed in the trunk.