Vehicle vandalism reports in Cleveland and in Akron in recent weeks has some northeast Ohio safety experts talking about what can be done to make a vehicle and its owner less of a target for vandalism.
Reports of several cars set on fire in Akron in recent weeks and multiple cars vandalized in the parking lot near the Bingham apartment complex in downtown Cleveland have police dealing with a flood of damage reports.
Tim Dimoff, a security expert with SACS Consulting and Security in Akron, told News 5 the recent uptick in vehicle vandalism can be attributed to a spike in northeast Ohio drug activity.
"Small crime can be related to a lot of the drug an alcohol epidemic that's taking place," Dimoff said. "In almost 80 to 90 percent of the vandalism cases, the people will say they had valuables in plain sight and they left the car unlocked."
Dimoff listed his top 10 things that may make you and your vehicle more of a target for vandalism:
- Leaving your vehicle unlocked
- Parking in a dark, unlit area
- Leaving valuables in plain sight
- Hiding your spare key in an obvious location
- Parking without courtesy, over two spots
- Controversial, issue-oriented bumper stickers
- Road rage, arguments with other drivers
- Parking on the street when it can be avoided
- Leaving your car parked in one spot for more than a day
- Premium sound systems that are not discrete
