String Of Auto Break-Ins In Ormewood Park

At least three vehicles were broken into Monday night — all on Woodland Avenue, the Trolley Patrol reported.

The three vehicles were parked between Delaware and Eden avenues.

In all three cases, the vehicles were left unlocked and in one case, a pair of vintage aviator sunglasses was taken, Jamie Martin, president of the Trolley Patrol, said.

The Trolley Patrol is the private neighborhood security group that serves the Benteen Park, Boulevard Heights, Custer/McDonough/Guice, North Ormewood Park, and Ormewood Park and Woodland Hills communities.

Martin offers these tips:

• Never leave anything of value — even low value — in plain sight. Thieves will break a window for loose change or even a compact disc.
• Lock your doors and roll up your windows. (I know there's some wisdom in doing the opposite to avoid a broken window, just make sure there's nothing of value inside).
• Install (and arm) an alarm. A blinking red light showing thieves your car alarm is armed is a decent deterrent in strong neighborhoods like ours, where neighbors are looking out.
• Report anything suspicious. If you see someone looking into car windows, call 911 immediately, then Trolley Patrol at 678-820-8239. This helps police assign officers (which is why a patrol car was on Woodland this morning).
• Let neighbors know. If you're the victim of a crime — even if they didn't take anything — you can help others avoid becoming victims by alerting neighbors, Trolley Patrol, neighborhood lists/groups, NextDoor neighborhood sites, Facebook, etc.

The Atlanta Police Department also has been pushing its "Clean Car Campaign," advising motorists not to leave anything of value in their vehicles.

Thief magnets include, purses and wallets, loose change, laptops, mobile phones, tablet computers and GPS units.

Take your items of value even if you're home, at work or exiting your vehicle for just one moment. If you have to leave property inside of your vehicle for some reason, secure it in the trunk and out of plain sight.