The New Berlin Police Department has taken several reports of stolen GPS units from vehicles in the past two weeks. The"hot item" for Christmas has now become the "must have" for Grinch-like thieves, who are not afraid to break your car window to get at their target.
The GPS units can cost anywhere from $200 to $500 and even more for the pricier models with more bells and whistles. Many people leave their GPS units mounted to their windshields or dashboards, where they are easy to see and easy to steal. The police department is asking you to either take your GPS unit with you when you leave your car, or at least make sure it is out of sight if you must leave it in the car. Leaving your GPS in plain sight could be compared to leaving three $100 bills on your dashboard and daring someone not to break your window to get at them. These units can be taken very quickly because they are small and usually not secured in a vehicle. They also have a high resale value on the street.
The majority of these thefts have been from business parking lots along Moorland Road from the Target store south to Stonefire Pizza, although some units have also been taken from private driveways. Some of these "smash and grab" thefts have even occurred during the daylight hours.
Please take a few extra steps to keep your property safe, and make sure to write down the serial numbers for any property you own that has a serial number, and keep them together in a safe place. Giving the police the serial number from your stolen items will assist us greatly in getting your property back to you, in the event that it is recovered.
