Crime Prevention Campaign Joins Forces With Another Texas Town

The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) has joined with the Grand Prairie Police Department in a crime prevention campaign aimed at preventing auto thefts and auto burglaries. The program involves the funding and distribution of signs that read, “LOCK your car, TAKE your keys and HIDE your belongings.”

Grand Prairie Chief of Police Steve Dye said the crime prevention program will make a difference in his city.

“The Lock, Take and Hide program is a proactive community policing opportunity to partner with the public in helping to educate them on how to better secure their vehicles when parked and unattended,” Chief Dye said. “By working together with our community members toward reducing suitable targets for criminal offenses, we are confident the occurrences of crime will decrease and make our community even safer.”

In Texas, 68,000 vehicles are stolen and more than 250,000 vehicles are burglarized each year. It is also estimated that half of the vehicles stolen had the drivers’ keys left in the ignition and/or unlocked doors.

Chief Dye said the signs will be placed in large public and private parking areas such as shopping malls, city parks, restaurants, apartment complexes and other areas where there is parking congestion.

Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) spokesman Mark Hanna said law enforcement officials welcome deterrents for criminals as well as good advice for drivers. “Police departments and several Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority programs all over Texas have turned to ICT requesting these signs,” said Hanna. “The signs offer a simple message and best of all, they’ve proven successful in reducing crime.”

ICT initially started the crime prevention program in Austin on March 2, 2005, and has since begun similar programs in Round Rock, Garland, Mesquite, Frisco, Celina, Del Rio, Houston, Laredo, Brownsville, Highland Village, Beaumont, Galveston, El Paso, College Station, Travis County, Lubbock, and Waco.

The Insurance Council of Texas is the largest state insurance trade association in the country consisting of 500 property and casualty insurers writing business in Texas.