Rural and city property owners are being hit by car burglars, and Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator says there's a strong possibility the same group of thieves is responsible.

Since the end of March, Caddo deputies have investigated at least five separate incidents where vehicles were entered during the night-time hours. Other reports have been made in Shreveport, Blanchard and smaller incorporated areas.

In the Caddo cases, up to five suspects have been documented entering driveways and checking for unlocked car doors, usually after midnight. About half of the victims reported nothing missing, only found their vehicles ransacked. The other half lost items like firearms, laptop computers, bank cards, purses and wallets. The estimated loss is nearly $12,000. Two cars with the keys left inside were also stolen. Those are valued at $32,000.

On Tuesday, May 5, a homeowner's security camera captured photos of two suspects entering vehicles in the 1000 block of Winchester Drive in north Shreveport. Detectives are hoping someone will come forward with information that can help identify them.

In the meantime, Sheriff Prator has the following advice for residents:

Lock your car doors.

Do not leave items of any value in your car overnight. If necessary, store the items in your trunk or at least out of sight.

Park as close to any security lighting as possible. If you don’t have lighting, consider installing it for overall home security.

Never leave your keys in the car.

Storing unsecured firearms in unattended vehicles is NEVER a good idea.

Garage door remote controls should not be left inside cars that are parked outside. A thief can immediately use or steal the remote and return at any time to gain entry into the residence.

Know your neighbors and watch out for suspicious activity and people in the neighborhood.

Be vigilant, and report any unusual occurrences to your local law enforcement agency.

If you discover your home or car has been burglarized, contact law enforcement and do not disturb anything. Valuable physical evidence, fingerprints and/or DNA is often left behind by thieves.

As always, maintain serial numbers and photographs of valuables. Affix unique identifying numbers on items when no serial number exists.

If you have information that could help identify the suspects in this investigation, contact Detective Matt Purgerson at 681-0700.

BURGLAR2
Photo courtesy of CSO
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