Spokane thieves hit some 100 cars

Car prowlers hit more than 100 cars over the weekend as Christmas shoppers flocked to area stores, police said.

Some of the cars were left unlocked, but most were found with smashed windows, Lt. Dean Sprague said.

“It is a pretty significant amount,” Sprague said. “Unfortunately, it’s pretty lucrative this time of year. People need to remember that any time they leave an item of value in sight … they make themselves a target.”

Many of the reports came from parking lots in Spokane malls, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Along with recently purchased gifts, the thieves made away with credit cards, checkbooks, purses and forms of identification that can be used to perpetrate identity theft, Sprague said.

In one case, a thief stole a credit card out of a car and tried to use it to purchase items at the Munchkin Market, 1928 E. Mission, Cottam said. The clerk looked at the name on the credit card and recognized it as her mother’s.

“The woman left her purchases and ran from the store,” Cottam said.

Sprague said many shoppers leave gifts in their car because they don’t want to carry them all day. Many residents don’t think they are vulnerable if they only leave their cars unattended for a few minutes.

“It only takes a second to smash a window,” Sprague said. “Within five seconds, I can have that item in my possession and walking away.”

Car prowlers almost never break into a car to search for items, he said. They “walk down the street or parking lot looking for what they want. They break into cars because they already know what is inside.”

Some of the victims are from outlying areas or towns that don’t have the car prowling problems of Spokane, he said. Others told Sprague they left their cars unlocked to avoid having their windows smashed out.

“I’m going to keep saying the message on the chance someone listens: ‘Don’t give somebody a target,’ ” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of people paid the price this last weekend.”

Sprague suggested that parents have children carry gifts, or put them in the trunks of cars. Drivers should never leave wallets, purses or checkbooks in vehicles at any time, he said.

Car prowlers “would rather go make purchases with your money than go out and earn it themselves,” he said. “There are going to be a lot of heartbroken people because their credit cards are with someone else.”