CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Clarksville Police Department (CPD) is trying to educate the public about vehicle thefts and burglaries with the goal of encouraging citizens to take preventive measures to reduce the probability of becoming a victim.

In a two week period (Mar 12 through Mar 25, 2019) there were 58 vehicle burglaries throughout the city. Out of those 58, four had windows broken, six were locked but, some had no signs of forced entry, and 48 were unlocked.

The 48 unlocked vehicles accounted for over 82 percent of the burglarized vehicles. The vehicles with broken windows were around 7 percent with the remaining 11 percent showing some or no signs of forced entry.

Over $5,000 in gift cards or cash was stolen during the burglaries. Three handguns, purses, wallets, Apple products (iPhone, iPad), credit/debit cards, and personal documents were also stolen.

There were 18 vehicles stolen with nine of those left running unattended or with keys left inside of the vehicles (about 50 percent of cases). Three of the vehicles were taken as part of another crime out of the victim’s control such as a carjacking, and the remaining six were taken through other means such as being towed, loaned to someone, etc.

Ten of the vehicles have been recovered with four arrests (two were juveniles). Also, one of the recovered stolen vehicles had property inside taken from vehicle burglaries.

CPD encourages people to PARK SMART:

First, LOCK YOUR VEHICLE – always lock your car and close your windows, even for short periods, when your vehicle is unattended.

Second, SECURE YOUR VALUABLES – a vehicle becomes a desirable target when you leave purses, money, laptops, and cellphones visible to passersby. Also, leaving firearms inside of a vehicle overnight, unsecured or without some sort of positive control can be a formula for disaster.

Third, TAKE YOUR KEYS WITH YOU – never leave the key in the ignition or fob in the car when it is unattended or running.
Additionally, if you see suspicious activity or someone you think is committing a crime, call 911. We’ve taken police reports where witnesses actually saw crimes being committed but did not call police.