Published November 25 2015
On the biggest shopping day of the year, Bellevue Police will announce a new initiative aimed at reducing car break-ins during the busy holiday shopping season. The initiative is called "Lock it, Hide it, Keep it," and encourages visitors and residents of Bellevue to do three simple things every time they park their car:
- Lock your car every time you leave it unattended, even if it's parked in your own driveway. Many thieves will simply try door handles in a parking lot or driveway until they find an unlocked car.
- Hide your valuables. Valuables can include anything that can be easily removed from a vehicle, including sunglasses, window-mounted GPS navigation systems, portable music players and phone charging cables.
- Keep your property with you. A car is not a secure place to leave your property. It only takes a few seconds for a thief to break a car window and remove the items inside.
The initiative will include a social media campaign via the Police Department's Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor accounts, banners at police substations, and signs at parking lots and garages throughout the city. To publicize the effort, officers and detectives will be distributing 500 free "club" steering wheel locks ($40 retail value) at the police substation at Crossroads mall on Black Friday from 9 a.m. while supplies last. The clubs were provided by a generous grant from the King County Auto Theft Task Force.
Also on Friday, at 9 a.m., Bellevue police officers will give members of the media an opportunity to view a demonstration of how quickly a motor vehicle prowl can occur. An officer will play the role of "prowler," and will be timed to demonstrate how quickly a thief can break a car window and remove valuables from inside.