Columbia Citizens

When you visit Seward Park, and you park in the parking lot, make sure to hide your valuables where they cannot be seen. If you have a GPS navigation system or MP3 player in your car, and if any of the attachments for these are visible, hide them. Thieves are keeping an eye out for visible accessories for these items, so they can determine which cars to break into when no one is watching.

We recently spotted a light blue/gray car (plate: WA state 617… ) slowly cruising the lot and when we came back to our car, it had been broken into. The young male driving was alone and seemed to wait a few minutes for us to leave, so he could break into our vehicle. Because we did not see him break in, the police will do nothing about it.

He broke in using a screwdriver and tore the lock out of the door, causing about $800 in damages.

Car insurance will not cover items that are not permanently attached to your car. Your homeowner's insurance deductible may too high to claim your losses.