In the last couple of weeks, Police Chief Rollie Cantu and his officers have investigated between 15 and 20 reports of car burglaries in the city of Breaux Bridge. The modus operandi of the thieves is to apparently roam the streets and backroads of the city while it sleeps. The bad guys are looking for cars that are unlocked and contain valuables.

However, the contents contained in the vehicles aren't all they are after. Chief Cantu says his office has worked three stolen vehicle reports during that same time frame. Not surprisingly a lot of these crimes could have easily been prevented or the victims could have at least made committing the crime a little tougher.

How could that be done?

If people would simply lock their cars and remove their valuables from those cars. Thieves by nature are not known for their work ethic. In other words, a locked car is too much trouble and creates too much risk for the bad guys to mess with so they often tug on the door handle and if the vehicle is locked, they simply go away.

The majority of the vehicles affected by this recent crime spree have been reportedly left unsecured. It's a pretty expensive lesson to learn but once you've been broken into it's amazing how quickly you learn to punch that lock button down before you park your car for the night.

Chief Cantu warns residents to be on the lookout for suspicious persons on the prowl after midnight and between 3 in the morning. That appears to be the most popular time for the criminals to ooze up from the swamps and ply their trade.

Chief Cantu does offer this bit of advice too. If you encounter the suspects they likely will have guns on them. So for your safety call Breaux Bridge Police at 337-332-2186.

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