Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • September 28, 2011 Franklin Lakes Unlocked cars lead to rash of thefts in borough by Frank J. McMahon The habit of leaving cars unlocked has created an opportunity for thieves to steal several items and a few expensive vehicles, some of which were taken from the owners’ driveways in the Borough of Franklin Lakes. Last week, a Pines Terrace resident reported that unknown persons had entered two of his unlocked vehicles during the overnight hours. A GPS unit, radar detector, and an XM radio receiver were taken from the vehicles. During the past month, three motor vehicles were stolen from three different residences on Cheyenne Drive and Indian Trail Drive during the overnight hours. The vehicles were all left unlocked and the keys were left in the vehicles. A resident of Algonquin Road also reported during the past month that someone attempted to enter her car while it was parked in her driveway during the overnight hours. The handle had been broken off the car door. In August, unknown persons stole a 2011 Mercedes Benz from the driveway of a Cinnamon Lane residence. The previous month, a resident of Pulis Avenue reported that two unlocked cars that had been parked in the driveway were burglarized and a GPS unit and an iPod were taken. There have been similar instances in Wyckoff, where vehicles have been taken from the owners’ driveways after the vehicles were left unlocked with the keys inside. In addition, a purse was stolen from the seat of an unlocked car in the parking lot of the Wyckoff YMCA. Franklin Lakes Lieutenant Detective Jack Bakelaar advised that car thefts have been prevalent in the northern part of the state recently and appear to be part of an organized, professional operation. He said the usual method the thieves use is to drive up a street and look on both sides for unlocked cars and then either steal items from the vehicles or steal the cars. Bakelaar said his department is working with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and there are some suspects being investigated, but these types of crimes are difficult to solve and a low percentage of cases get solved across the country. He explained, however, that the theft of a car could lead to prison time when the perpetrators are convicted. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, auto theft generates nearly $8 billion a year. Despite declining auto theft rates, business continues to grow in the United States due to the ever increasing value of cars. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2008 Uniform Crime Reports, an auto theft occurs about every 30 seconds in the United States, and auto theft rates vary from month to month and geographical location. Based on the FBI’s 2008 Uniform Crime Reports, auto theft fell 12.7 percent from 2007 to 2008, with 956,846 auto thefts reported in 2008. In 2008, only 12 percent of auto theft cases were solved. Stolen Property.com, a website that maintains an international auto theft database, claims that police authorities, pawn shops, professional vehicle buyers and sellers, and consumers use its service everyday free of charge to both search for and report a stolen car on the auto theft database. According to that website, most auto thieves want to resell the cars. The stolen auto is typically brought across state lines or international borders. The vehicle identification numbers may be altered or removed, the title and registration forged, and the stolen car repainted to avoid detection. One of the most common reasons an auto theft occurs, however, is to sell the parts, which can bring a thief up to four times what would be gained by selling the whole car. Auto theft rings often set up “chop shops” where stolen cars get stripped down for the parts in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, an auto theft occurs merely to provide transportation, and many times the stolen car is used in other crimes which is why it is imperative to report a car stolen immediately upon discovery. After the stolen car is no longer needed, it is often abandoned or sold before it can be traced to the thief. Some auto thefts are used to trade for drugs by addicts who will leave the car with the drug dealer for collateral. The dealer will then use the car to run drugs or commit more crimes. Juveniles will also commit auto theft for status with friends or for the thrill of it. In these cases, the stolen car is often abandoned after use, but more often these juvenile thieves get involved with auto theft rings. Auto thefts also occur in order to commit more crimes or to use for insurance fraud in which the vehicle owner typically arranges to have the car stolen or simply leaves the car in an area known for a high rate of auto theft. The vehicle owner may also hide the car, sink it in a lake, or torch it to ensure it is a total loss if it is found. The Franklin Lakes Council has introduced an ordinance that seeks to clarify the borough’s regulations pertaining to illuminated signs in order to address public safety concerns. The section of the borough code regarding permitted signs, 300-128, describes all the types of signs that are permitted in the borough. This new ordinance would amend that section and prohibit all illuminated signs in residential zoning districts. In addition, any permanent sign that is permitted in other zoning districts could be illuminated, but could not flash, blink, fluctuate, scroll, or contain intermittent illumination. In addition, no animation effects, including the sequential display of messages, would be permitted on those signs. These new provisions, and the existing provisions in this section of the borough code, would pertain to all forms of illuminated signs, including, but not limited to, Sign regulations clarified electronic changeable copy signs, digital signs, electronic message centers, on-premise digital display signs that can be observed by vehicular drivers, systems using light emitting diodes, and neon signs. Electronic changeable copy signs are defined in the ordinance as a sign, or portion of a sign, that displays electronic, nonpictorial text information in which each alphanumeric character, graphic, or symbol is defined by a small number of matrix elements using different combinations of light emitting diodes, fiber optics, light bulbs, or other illumination devices within the display area. Electronic changeable copy signs include computer programmable, microprocessor controlled electronic displays, but not time and temperature signs. Under this new ordinance, all portions of electronic changeable copy signs would (continued on page 19)