SNOHOMISH- Thieves Stealing RV Batteries

According to King 5 TV news, there have been several thefts of deep cycle batteries from travel trailers in the 900 block of 19^th Street and an attempted theft in the 1000 block early last week.

The theft of the batteries allow the thieves to get easy cash; from $5 to $45 for each battery core, according to Snohomish Police Chief John Flood.

RV’s, including travel trailers, 5^th wheels and motorhomes, can be targets for thieves especially if they are stored in isolated parts of your property or in a storage yard. When your RV is not in use and in storage, be sure to take the batteries from your RV to a secure place.

For more information about protecting your RV go to this previous posting on my blog:

http://ssnoccrimewatch.blogspot.com/search?q=RV

 

For more information about the battery thefts in Snohomish, go to:

KING 5 TV News:

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Snohomish-Police-thieves-targeting-RV-batteries-239717841.html

AUTUMN MEADOWS- Motorhome Broken Into

Between 11:30 pm Sunday February 28, and 5:30 am Monday morning, March 1, someone broke into a motorhome at 43rd & 121st Place SE. The window lock was lifted and window slid open. Nothing was broken or stolen.

Note: RV’s including motorhomes, 5th wheels and travel trailers are sometimes targets of burglars. No matter where you store your RV, in a secured storage yard or at your home it can be broken into. To minimize loss, do not keep weapons, alcohol or drugs (even prescription drugs) in your RV. High end electronics, such as flatscreen TV’s, can also be desired targets of burglars. If you have a flatscreen TV in your RV, be sure it is well hidden, or if possible, store it in a secure place such as your home.

SELF STORAGE- Protecting Your Stuff

Sometimes you need to store items that you do not have room for in your home in a self-storage or mini storage unit. It can be furniture, clothes, knick knacks, family files, etc. that you need to store. Beware, though, storage units can be targets of burglars, looking for easy to sell items.

Sometimes, they will cut through a back fence then cut the locks on one or more units, taking whatever they can easily carry through the fence. Another strategy is to rent a unit, then over a period of time rummage through a variety of units taking what they want then storing their booty in their unit. They can take their stolen stuff out of the yard without being noticed.

Some ways that you can protect yourself are:

• Be sure to use a padlock with a shrouded shackle, such as a saucer lock, to prevent the lock from being cut with bolt cutters.
• If possible use a cylinder lock.
• Be sure the facility is neat and clean.
• Be sure the facility is fenced all around the storage area.
• Access control is very important. Facilities that require renters to enter a code to enter and leave the facility ensure that only renters have access to the facility. If there is a problem, then the management can review a log to look for any unusual movements inside the fence.
• Security cameras are also important to help identify unusual movements and burglars.
• When you sign your lease, see if the facility owner will cover any of your losses. They probably won’t. So…
• Check with your insurance agent that your homeowners or renters insurance will cover your belongings in storage. The storage facility also may offer insurance that you can buy.
• Like at home, keep an inventory of what you have in storage including descriptions, pictures, and serial numbers in case your unit is broken into and your possessions have been stolen. This can help property crimes detectives recover your stuff.

Also, you may need to store your RV, motorhome, trailer, 5^th wheel or boat away from your house because of the covenants in your community or just because you do not have room on your property.

Some security hints for your RV include:

• Limited access, cameras, and fencing are important for an RV storage yard also.
• Don’t leave alcohol, drugs (including prescription drugs) or weapons in your RV. Often teenagers will go through trailers and motorhomes looking for these items.
• Some people will leave the blinds up on the windows and leave the cabinet and refrigerator doors open to show that they have not left anything in their motorhome, trailer or 5^th wheel.
• If you have a flatscreen TV, and it cannot be easily concealed in a cabinet, take it home with you.
• If you are storing a boat, try to take any electronics home to store if you can. Also, secure your pony or trolling motor with a special clamp that thieves cannot defeat. Do not use a cable to secure your motor, cables can be cut. If you don’t have a clamp, take your outboard motor home to store.