LaSalle man has minivan broken into, passports stolen in Detroit
Car owners need to be aware of just how easy it can be to break into some models police are warning after a LaSalle man had his minivan broken into and passports stolen in Detroit.
LaSalle police spokesman Const. Harbinder Gill says the man left his Dodge Caravan for only a few minutes and returned to notice a scratch on his door and items, including passports, missing.
It appears thieves popped the lock of the 2013 Dodge Caravan from the outside by making a very small hole beneath the driver's side door handle.
Gill told CBC he had never seen such a break-in and wanted to immediately warn the public. So, he tweeted a photo of damage, which includes a scratch and small hole.
Gill is not only worried about people having items stolen from their car, but having criminals hide items in the cars and smuggled across the border without the owner knowing.
'They were very bold'
Don Kozulis is the unlucky LaSalle resident whose minivan was broken into.
The theft happened within a 10-minute period as he was getting groceries. Kozulis parked near the edge of the parking lot at the store and the thieves drove up in a separate vehicle to conceal what they were doing.
"They were very bold," he told CBC News in an interview.
In addition to the passports, Kozulis said that tablets and his sons' Nintendo DS units were stolen as well. He said the thefts have left him out about $1,500 in terms of stolen property, before he paid to replace the stolen passports.
Locksmith Gerry Jobin of Lock-outs said thieves only need a thin screwdriver to break in and called some models' security "a joke."
Jobin said depending on the model, a would-be thief can get into a vehicle within about 30 seconds.
He said that cars are generally much more difficult to steal today than they were in the past, but that doesn't mean that they are impossible to get into.
As a result, Jobin said it is best to ensure your valuables are kept out of sight, so that you don't leave any incentive for thieves.
"Don't give them any reason to break into your vehicle and they won't," said Jobin.
