March 14, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 17 Police Chief Ben Fox warns: Lock it or lose it by John Koster Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox has issued an urgent appeal to residents to lock vehicles, even when they are parked in driveways, and keep valuables inside the house to prevent incidents that could be worse than auto theft. “This is getting terribly frustrating,” Chief Fox said, as incidents involving unlocked vehicles continued in early March. “I’m simply running out of ways to tell residents time and time again to protect their property by locking their car doors. I do hope that the vast majority of residents are listening, but apparently there is a sizable population that chooses to ignore this advice.” Chief Fox reminded residents: “Lock it or lose it! Most cars today have a key fob. You simply push a button to lock your car. The horn typically beeps to alert you that it’s locked and secure. (Vehicle) thefts happen at night when residents are sleeping.” He added, “Hear the beep; go to sleep.” During the first days of March, cars parked on Albemarle Street, Calvin Court, Mountain Avenue, and Sicomac Avenue were entered while they were left unlocked. A GPS, an iPod, $60 in cash, and a lamp were stolen. The March auto burglaries follow auto thefts in which latemodel, high-end cars were stolen outright from owners’ driveways or, in one case, a friend’s driveway while the car was left idling. “These incidents are all crimes against property,” Chief Fox said. “As serious as that is, I am concerned about what could happen should a resident interrupt one of these thefts in progress. Unquestionably, individuals are being drawn to Wyckoff and surrounding communities by what is the carelessness of some vehicle owners. Who these thieves are or what they might do to someone who stumbles upon them during their criminal activities gives me cause for concern. I can only simply appeal to everyone once again to lock (their) car and homes, and call the police department should you observe anything suspicious.” On March 3, Wyckoff police reported that a suspicious vehicle was parked in the driveway of a home on Crescent Avenue. The car was a 1997 Toyota Corolla that had been stolen in Oakland on Feb. 19, when the keys were left in the ignition. There were, however, no keys in the ignition when it was recovered by the Wyckoff Police Department. Sergeant Brian Zivkovich investigated. On Feb. 29 at 10:21 p.m., a 2011 Mercedes E350 was stolen while idling from a driveway on Annette Court, after the owner entered a friend’s home. This was the second high-end vehicle stolen from Wyckoff during the last weeks of February, and both cars were stolen from residential driveways after 10 pm. with the car keys in the ignition. On Feb. 17, a Clinton Avenue resident reported the theft of her BMW, which had been parked in the driveway. The car was valued at $90,000 and reportedly contained about $5,000 worth of personal items at the time it was stolen.