Thieves home in on automobile GPS units

By ASHLEY LUTHERN

Local police departments have seen an increase in GPS thefts over the past year.

BOARDMAN — Popular navigation units hanging from car windshields might be useful, but leaving one in a parked car is like giving a thief directions to steal.

“If you leave an expensive, well-recognized device in plain sight, then chances are good that it will get stolen,” said Boardman Police Chief Patrick J. Berarducci.

Throughout last year, his department and others in the area, such as Austintown’s, saw an increase in stolen portable global positioning systems (GPS).

“In Boardman, we have a lot of people from outside the area passing through to visit businesses here. A lot of families have become dependent on [GPS] for directions, so more units are out on the streets,” Berarducci said.

GPS systems range in price from about $200 to $800, said Rex Torbron, a manager at Doc’s Radio and Television on Market Street.

“It’s very easy to take the actual unit off the dashboard and store it in the trunk or glove box, and we tell our customers to do that because a thief can hit and run in a second,” he said.

It’s more difficult to steal built-in navigation systems because the bulk of the equipment is behind the display face and the cables that make the system work take more time to remove, Torbron said.

Once a GPS unit is stolen, chances of recovering it are slim.

“People assume that there’s a tracking device in the GPS, but there usually isn’t because the unit only receives the satellite information; it doesn’t send it,” said Lt. Robert Schaeffer of the Austintown police.

Similar to many property crimes, there are no witnesses, fingerprints or evidence, but police are called so victims can fill out a report for insurance purposes, Berarducci said.

“GPS theft is such a nationwide problem that most police departments won’t even send an officer now,” he said. “Instead, the victim of theft has to go to the station or go online to complete an incident report.”

Berarducci added that this is a policy that his department is considering because of the prevalence of such thefts.

While it is important to fill out a police report, auto insurance generally does not cover stolen GPS units, said Leah Knapp, spokesperson for Progressive Auto Insurance.

“Generally, under most auto insurance policies, damages due to theft will be covered under comprehensive coverage, while other items like cell phones, CDs and other electronics would probably be covered by your homeowner’s, renter’s or condo insurance — if you’ve got it,” she said.

If people use common sense, like locking their car doors and putting valuables in their trunks, many of these thefts can be avoided, Schaeffer said.

Another tip is to wipe off the suction cup mark that the GPS system leaves on the windshield, Berarducci said.

“These thieves aren’t stupid,” he said. “They watch out for police and they target cars that have, or look like they might have, valuable electronics in them.”