BY SUSAN BRYANT

sbryant@tnonline.com

Upper Macungie police issued the following thefts from vehicles advisory for township residents on Oct. 4.

According to Crime and Community Services Division Commander Lt. Peter V. Nickischer, there are two types of thieves who commit these crimes.

“The first type of thief is one that typically operates at night and in the darkness of residential neighborhoods, lurking from house to house and pulling on car door handles,” Nickischer emailed The Press. “These thieves move quickly, targeting easy grabs by opening unlocked car doors and stealing items in plain sight, as well as cash and change located in the vehicle.

“This is the most typical type of theft from vehicle case in our township. The good news is that these thieves can be defeated by simply locking your car doors, especially overnight.

He said the second type of thief is one who typically operates in daylight, and targets cars parked in public parks, gyms, churches and day cares.

“This thief’s modus operandi involves peering into vehicle windows and looking for items left out in the open, especially purses, wallets and electronics,” Nickischer stated. “Unlike the first thief, these criminals are more brazen and will break car windows to retrieve their loot.

“In the past month, we have had both types of thieves operating in Upper Macungie Township.

“While these cases remain under investigation, we believe it is vital to remind our residents of the value of locking their car doors and either hiding valuables in vehicles or better yet, removing all valuables from vehicles whenever possible,” he said.

“As always, we hope by alerting our residents to this type of activity, we can prevent these crimes from happening and limit the amount of victims in our township.

For information about this advisory or to provide feedback to police, contact Lt. Nickischer at 484-661-5911 or pnickischer@uppermac-pd.org.