Corpus Christi police unveil new auto-theft prevention campaign

Corpus Christi

The last surprise people want during the holidays is to find out their car was broken into.

To try to keep that from happening, a new crime prevention program will be rolled out.

The Insurance Council of Texas chose Corpus Christi as one of the three Texas cities that will participate in a crime prevention campaign to stop auto theft and auto burglaries.

Corpus Christi Police Lt. Colby Burris, with the Auto Theft Task Force, speaks about the crime prevention campaign aimed at preventing auto theft and auto burglaries on Monday, November 12, 2018 at Mattress Firm in Moore Plaza. The Insurance Council of Texas selected Corpus Christi and two other cities for the campaign. Last year, 678 vehicles were stolen in Corpus Christi and 60-68 percent were unlocked, Burris said.

The CCPD Auto Theft Task Force, RTA and ICONIC Sign Group have also teamed up to distribute 250 signs around Corpus Christi with the message "LOCK your car, TAKE your keys and HIDE your belongings."

"We have about eight or nine car break-ins a day," Lt. Colby Burris said. "We also had around 600 stolen cars last year which is about one or two a day."

Corpus Christi Police Lt. Colby Burris, with the Auto Theft Task Force, explained ways people can avoid becoming victims of auto theft crime as a new crime prevention campaign aimed at preventing auto theft and auto burglaries is unveiled on Monday, November 12, 2018 at Mattress Firm in Moore Plaza. The Insurance Council of Texas selected Corpus Christi and two other cities for the campaign. One way people can be proactive is to make sure they remove high-value items from their vehicles, Burris said. Securing them with cables will slow down the thieves, but won't stop them, he said.

With the holiday season comes more shopping, and more theft.

"Doing these three simple things can keep your personal belongings from being stolen and saves everyone time and money," Burris said.

The program has been used in Texas for around 13 years in 30 cities and will roll out in Frisco and Fort Worth as well this year.

The Corpus Christi Police Department had the Sky Watch tower on display as they unveiled a new crime prevention campaign aimed at preventing auto theft and auto burglaries on Monday, November 12, 2018 at Mattress Firm in Moore Plaza. The Insurance Council of Texas selected Corpus Christi and two other cities for the campaign. The Sky Watch tower is another example of crime prevention efforts the department utilizes to prevent auto burglaries and auto theft.

Insurance Council of Texas Spokesperson Mark Hanna said that a lot of auto theft could be prevented if more followed the three steps they're trying to promote.

"In cities that we have done these campaigns we have seen around a 20 percent decrease in thefts afterward," Hanna said.

In anticipation of the holiday season, a CCPD SkyWatch Tower will be placed in high-traffic areas like Moore Plaza and La Palmera mall.

Tips on preventing auto theft

Lock your cars
Take your keys with you
Hide important belongings
Write down serial numbers for items you can't take out of car
Properly tie down items in truck beds
Keep items with personal information at home

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