If you want someone to break into your car, all you have to do is leave things in plain sight.

Austin Police has an effort underway to scan cars in parking lots and leave notices about such practices.

(of course, does that piece of paper become a “rob me!” flag?).

I used to work with a guy that used to work in the Maine legal system. I was surprised when we went to lunch one day and he left his car doors unlocked and said he never locked them. I asked why. He said because it doesn’t really matter. The majority of car break-ins occur because you leave attractive things out in plain sight. Money, cigarettes, CD’s… anything that’s easy to smash and grab, consume, or easily hock for money. If you leave nothing in your car but the car itself, what’s there to break in for? They’ll move on to the next car because there will always be a car with stuff left in it that’s worth stealing.

So what about the car itself? Well, there’s really no point. If they want the car, they will steal it. Devices like The Club? My friend said he’s seen so many cars with the steering wheel quickly sawn through to remove a Club.

I’ve had my car broken into twice. The first time I had just bought my car, factory radio which I replaced with a nice Kenwood. The Kenwood had a detachable face. Well, one day I was in a hurry and didn’t take the face. I didn’t get back to the parking lot until late at night and came back to find my door pried open and the radio gone. I replaced it with another Kenwood. A couple of years later in the parking lot of the apartment I lived in, I had become complacent and left the face on. I had also left CD’s sitting on the passenger seat. I went to leave for work and found a back window shattered. The police said a little piece of spark plug was all it took (Google about it if you’re curious). They ripped out the radio, took the CD’s, rummaged through everything, used the interior trunk release to pop the trunk… took all that was easy.

I learned.

My car is empty, save perhaps a soda can or candy wrapper.

There’s only so much you can do, but the easiest thing is to not let your car be an easy and appealing target. Keep your car empty, or at least, the appearance of empty.