Thefts from cars are on the rise here, but police say they can't seem to convince people to be more careful with their property.

"In most of the cases, something valuable inside the vehicle was left in plain view or the vehicle was unlocked,"  Manheim Township police spokesman Sgt. Tom Rudzinski said.

"I tell people not to give the bad guys a reason to target their car, so hiding valuables is a good idea," he said. "But taking them out of your vehicle when you're not driving is even better."

Rudzinski said officers have been "public as they can" when it comes to warning residents to lock their vehicles — from issuing public statements to placing notices about the thefts on car windshields throughout the township.

"We've been constantly reminding people," he said. "It's something we've been doing for the past two or three summers when thefts from vehicles seem to increase."

On Tuesday, a Lancaster resident reported that her car was entered and two money orders were taken while she was shopping at Wal-Mart on Fruitville Pike. The thief had no problem getting in, since all the doors were unlocked.

Three reports of thefts — in which cash, cell phones and other small items were taken from vehicles parked on Oregon Pike, Belair Drive and Coventry Road — came across Rudzinski's desk on Tuesday.

In all three cases, Rudzinski said, the cars had been left unlocked.

In another incident, a tourist from Florida left some valuables in plain view, which inspired a thief to smash the window of the car while it was parked at the Eden Resort, 222 Eden Road, sometime late Monday or early Tuesday.

Among the items removed from the car were a GPS unit and cameras. The value of the items was $1,500, police said.

Rudzinski said Manheim Township police have also been working closely with officers in Lancaster City in an effort to reduce thefts in "border areas."

"Thefts from vehicles are occurring in both jurisdictions," he said. "Sometimes it's for drug money."

This month, police in other townships reported their own share of incidences in which thieves stole items from cars.

In Manor Township, a resident of Linger Street in Millersville told officers that someone broke into his car late Monday or early Tuesday and stole about $1,200 worth of stereo equipment.

Last week in East Hempfield, thieves stole a $200 GPS unit from an unlocked car parked in the 4100 block of Forrest Road.

"Some agencies even suggest taking the GPS mounts out of your car when it's parked outside, so thieves don't have a reason to rummage through your car," Rudzinski said. "Some people tell me thieves might smash their windows anyway, even if they hide their valuables — but why give them an excuse to look inside?

"Don't make things easy for them, that's the bottom line," he said.

Rudzinski said residents who see any suspicious activity should use Manheim Township's Anonymous Crime Tip Line at 569-2816.


Staff writer Carla Di Fonzo can be reached at cdifonzo@LNPnews.com or 481-6027.