LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Drivers, listen up. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is seeing a spike in stolen cars and trucks, especially in the southeast part of the valley and the Spring Valley neighborhood.
LVMPD says vehicle thefts are up 21% compared to last year, with Monday and Tuesday nights being the days the most common days for thefts.
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Thieves are currently targeting Ford F-Series trucks, Chevrolet Silverado trucks, Dodge Ram trucks, Honda Civics and Honda Accords, according to Metro Police.
13 Action News spoke with Dan Allard, the owner of Las Vegas Car Alarm, to give you a few ways you can help deter thieves from taking your car when locking up is simply not enough.
CAR ALARMS
Allard's business has been booming during the pandemic.
He says the sound of a siren is impossible to ignore, and other than locking your doors, it may be your best bet to deter a vehicle thief. Alarm systems can cost you anywhere from $150-$350, including installation.
"Nothing is going to stop someone from taking it if they really want it, but it’s going to deter them to go to the next car," said Allard. "You want something that’s basically going to deter the thief."
"So, some kind of flashing LED light in the vehicle a lot of times will deter a thief to go to the next vehicle, saying, 'Oh, let’s not waste our time with this one. We don’t wanna get caught with that,'" he explained.
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KILL SWITCHES
Kill switches can be a more affordable option and provide another layer of protection.
"You can do a starter kill or hidden skill switches," said Allard. "I do quite a few of those also, where there’s a hidden switch in the car, which won’t allow you to start the car."
"No real alarm," he said, "it will just basically not allow you to start the vehicle."
VEHICLE TRACKING DEVICES
For more expensive vehicles, Allard sells two types of vehicle recovery systems with the ability to track your vehicle anywhere in the world.
"One can actually be hooked up to your alarm," he said. "So you can actually control your alarm through your phone, through an app, and it also has a locator so you can actually find where your vehicle is."
"The other one I have is totally independent of being an alarm," said Allard. "It’s an actual vehicle locator."
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"We hide it somewhere in the vehicle. It basically does breadcrumb trails," he explained, "so you can actually see exactly where the vehicle is, where it’s been."
"You can geo-track it, meaning if the vehicle goes out of a certain area, it’ll actually alert you through your phone to tell you it’s gone off," said Allard.
These are just a few deterrent devices to help prevent your vehicle from being stolen. If you want to learn more about how they work and how much they cost, click here.
