Waterbury PD Announces More Car Thefts, Mounted Patrols To Combat Retail Theft

I stopped leaving my keys in my vehicle back in the late 1980s when I woke up one morning and found that my VW had been rifled through, and someone had ripped out my stereo and speakers. I used to live on Oronoke Road in the Town Plot section of Waterbury. It was a very quiet part of town back then, and it still is now too. But, my hometown has experienced a plague of stolen vehicles over the past six months, most of which were stolen easily, due to the fact that the owner had left their keys in the vehicle.

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Waterbury Police have started to issue a weekly report on their social media pages regarding where vehicles have been stolen around the city. The latest was just released this morning.

This past week, it was particularly bad in the Downtown, North End, and South End of Waterbury, with a total of 12 vehicles reported stolen around the city, and just over half of them had the keys left in them by the owner. Most of the comments on Waterbury PD's social media page are directed at the victims of the thefts, and fall in line as to the way I think, what's it going to take for you to remember to not leave your keys in your vehicle?

According to WFSB.com, Waterbury PD is also trying to address the alarming rise in organized retail theft by increasing police presence in the form of additional patrols, including horseback-mounted officers, at Brass Mill Commons, the Brass Mill Mall, and other shopping areas around the city. I can personally tell you that it's about time. Mrs. Large works retail, and she spent 3 years at a retailer next to the Barnes and Noble on Union Street. She encountered organized theft almost daily, with numerous incidents just like the one we've all seen that just occurred at Market 32 in Oxford, or the TV thefts we've seen from BJ's, Walmart, and Target locations around the state.

I hope that you remember to take your keys inside with you tonight, it's a horrible feeling to wake up and see that one of your most valuable possessions is gone.