By TAYLOR MURCHISON-GALLAGHER
STAFF WRITER
During the Sept. 11 meeting of the city council, Bristol Police Chief Brian Gould announced that since April 9, 2018, the police department has received 24 complaints of cars being jacked up, and the tires and rims being stolen.
Gould stated that the latest incidents occurred early of Sept. 10
Gould said these incidents are primarily taking place in residential neighborhoods and apartment complexes that have large parking lots, and “it’s believed that these thefts are occurring and being committed in 10 minutes or less.”
“We’ve been conducting a situational analysis to determine a proper response. History has shown that random deployment of resources is not effective,” said Gould. “Our challenges, at the moment, is there are approximately 254 miles of roadway, over 52,000 motor vehicles registered in Bristol, and over 21,500 real estate parcels that we are trying to protect.”
But, Gould said that these crimes are not only affecting Bristol.
“There are many other communities experiencing the exact same thing. We are in contact with each other and we’re sharing information through the Connecticut Intelligence Center,” said Gould. “The leaders in these communities are sharing similar advice to their residents and visitors as well.”
The make of cars targeted include Acura, Audi, Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Infiniti, and Volkswagen.
“The response that we will use will be specific and coordinated, but we can’t do this alone. We need our partners – you, the community – to assist us. There are several ways that you can be of assistance to us and each other,” said Gould.
Gould said that if you see something suspicious, call (860)584-3011, or 911 if there is an emergency.”
Gould also gave a number of steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of crime, such as, “lock your vehicles, homes, and garages at all times;” “do not leave valuables in your vehicles – if you must, move them out of plain view, or secure them in the trunk. And when you do that, be aware of where you’re doing that; look at the situation around you to make sure people aren’t seeing you move things to the trunk;” “do not leave spare vehicle key fobs, keys, or garage door openers in your vehicles;” “enable any security features that your vehicle may have, such as security systems, vehicle tracking, et cetera;” and, “always park in a well lit area.”
If you have any information regarding these incidents, call (860)584-3011.