STAFFORD – Police recently announced they will be checking cars at night to make sure they’re locked to avoid burglaries, but many residents are not happy with this new idea.
On August 10, the Stafford Township Police Department posted on their Facebook page that they will be having officers patrol at night and check high-end cars to make sure they’re locked.
“For the next several weeks, Stafford Police will be checking high-end cars in the area during the evening and overnight hours. If a car is found to be unlocked or with a key fob inside, we will be knocking on citizens’ doors to notify them of their unsecured vehicle,” the department wrote.
The response from Stafford residents on social media was not positive. Many commented on the department’s post explaining why this is a bad idea for the town.
Here’s what they had to say:
“So we’re going to conduct illegal searches of ‘high end vehicles’ to locate key fobs or keys inside them? And why just ‘high end vehicles?’ Don’t ALL the citizens of Stafford not deserve EQUAL PROTECTION? Since when is it the police departments responsibility to baby sit ‘high end vehicle’ owners? This is why no one takes responsibility for their own actions because someone else is going to coddle them. Good luck with violating people’s 4th amendment!” Chris Sciolino said.
“I’ve been a resident of Stafford for 45 years and have a world of respect for our police force and all they’ve done and continue to do to keep Stafford safe and one of the best places to live, but unfortunately times change and there’s a new element in our area that calls for a change in the way we protect our properties. There comes a time when people need to take responsibility for their cars and properties instead of relying on the police, and there should be no reason at all for the police (or anyone) to come on your property at any time to see if your car is locked or if you left the keys in it,” JB Smith said.
“Great attempt at trying to remedy a problem… but if anyone including police officers walk down my driveway and start trying to enter my vehicle, house or property then they better have a warrant… maybe just patrol the streets all night to show more police presence. If more cops are needed to fulfill this tasking, I’m sure next year’s township budget can afford to hire a few more…. Besides that, everyone lock up your stuff. Cops THANK you for your hard work… please stay out of my family’s cars especially at night in the dark,” Jordan Padula said.
“While your diligence is so appreciated, it’s sad that our local PD needs to waste their valuable time (and resources) doing something like this. Your time is, and should be, so much more valuable than that. Just lock your car doors, people… why is this so hard?” Kate Kennedy said.
“Unbelievable that people have so much to say. Why not thank the police for doing this. I’m sure officers don’t appreciate getting in and out of vehicles to check your car so it doesn’t get stolen. Has nothing to do with who has more money than anyone else. They just know what vehicles are being targeted! Thank you to our police departments!” Carolyn Fay said.
The department responded back, stating how their mission is to protect the residents and do anything to serve them. They also explained how it takes less time to check if a car is locked than going through with a full investigation if something happens.
“While our post is clearly controversial, we will stand behind doing EVERYTHING in our power to serve and protect the citizens of Stafford Township. This includes getting our ‘lock your vehicle’ message out to residents through both social media and traditional formats, as well as thinking out of the box with our most recent proactive approach of checking vehicles. While this method does take time from our patrol officers, it does not compare to the time and resources that it takes to fully investigate each and every motor vehicle theft and vehicle burglary that occurs. High-end vehicles are our main focus, because high end vehicles have been the main target of motor vehicle thefts in our area. Our main objective, again, is to serve and protect our residents,” the department said.
“First and foremost, the members of the Stafford Township Police Department vigorously safeguard the constitutional rights of all citizens and would never intentionally violate anyone’s rights. Having said that, this initiative does not involve our officers entering anyone’s vehicle, or randomly opening the doors of vehicles. Our officers have been trained to use the same tactics that are currently being utilized by the thieves to determine if a vehicle is unlocked with the keys or key fobs in the vehicle. The officers can and will make these observations from the public roadway, and need not enter anyone’s property to conduct this check,” Dellane wrote.
Dellane went on to explain how the department purposely did not share their tactics in order to not provide any information on how to determine if a car is locked or not.
Any residents who have questions about the initiative can contact Dellane at 609-597-1189 ext. 8318.
