HOWLAND Residents to get free wheel locks as part of anti-auto-theft effort

Motor vehicle theft costs Ohioans more than $100 million a year.
HOWLAND -- Free steering wheel locks will be given, while supplies last, to Howland residents from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday at Howland Giant Eagle, 8202 E. Market St., in an anti-auto-theft campaign sponsored by the township police department.
Some $20,000 worth of locks were donated by The Wrap of Billings, Mont., which manufactures them. Recipients must show their driver's license or vehicle registration to prove they reside in Howland.
Motor vehicle theft is the nation's leading property crime and costs Ohioans more than $100 million a year, police said.
Howland recorded 48 such thefts last year and only 17 so far this year, said Sgt. Jeff Urso of the township police department.
"We're not saying that it's a big problem, but we're saying that it is preventable," he said. "If people would just take some preventive measures, it's very easy for them to just have the thief pass their car over and grab an easier target," Urso added.
Three easy steps
Motorists only need to take a few steps to secure their cars, including taking the keys out of the ignition, rolling up the windows and locking the doors every time they park, he said. Urso also urged parking in well-lighted areas at night and using an anti-theft device, he said.
Use of a steering wheel lock "is a very inexpensive way and a very easy way to make your vehicle a little harder to steal," he said. The Wrap, for example, can be applied in a few seconds, he added.
"Any good car thief can steal any car. We're not disputing that, but what we are saying is: Make them work to steal yours. They're going to pass it up, and they're going to go to an easier target," Urso added.