Morgan Hill Police are warning vehicle owners to “harden the target” as automobile thefts are on the rise in the months since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Residents should be sure to close their car windows and lock their vehicles’ doors when left unattended, the Morgan Hill Police Department said in a July 1 press release. Motorists should also remove all personal and valuable items—such as wallets, purses, cash, radios, phones and laptop computers—from unattended vehicles.
A recent increase in vehicle thefts in Morgan Hill is due to Santa Clara County’s implementation of a “zero bail” policy for criminal suspects arrested during the Covid-19 pandemic, the press release says.
“Many of these criminals preying on our community are repeat offenders,” the press release says. “Our crime trends are not unique to Morgan Hill. Many other law enforcement jurisdictions within the Bay Area are experiencing similar increases.”
In Morgan Hill, domestic trucks from the 1990s to late 2000s and Honda sedans are increasingly the targets of recent vehicle theft, police said.
MHPD and a regional auto theft taskforce have arrested an unspecified number of local suspects for recent crimes, police said.
“We highly encourage the community of Morgan Hill to continue helping us fight crime by hardening the target and reporting any suspicious persons and/or activity,” reads the July 1 press release.
Morgan Hill Police encouraged residents to sign up for the Neighbors by Ring application for mobile smartphones. The app allows MHPD to provide followers with real-time information and updates about crime and safety incidents. The Neighbors app also allows the user to provide MHPD with information about suspicious or unsafe activity.
Users do not need a Ring device to download and sign up for the Neighbors app, MHPD added. The app can be downloaded by texting “staysafe” to 555888.
