Police warn residents of wheel thefts

The Carrollton Police Department is warning residents to be aware of recent tire and wheel thefts that have been taking place in the city.

Since Jan. 1 there have been six reports of wheel thefts in Carrollton. The offenses are taking place across multiple cities around the Metroplex including Coppell, Lewisville and Grapevine. Police want to warn residents to be aware and to not be an easy victim of wheel thefts.

"Wheel thefts usually come in spurts," said Jon Stovall, public information officer for the Carrollton Police Department. "We will get multiple cars from multiple people have their wheels taken in a short period of time."

Stovall said the wheels that are mostly being targeted are full-size pickup trucks, SUVs and suburbans.

"The wheels that are targeted most are stock wheels, but oversized wheels, around 20 inches or more," he said. "It is not necessarily the after market rimes and tires you would think that would be targeted."

Surrounding cities such as Coppell have said the individuals who commit these crimes are professionals, and residents should take the necessary steps to ensure they do not become a victim.

"These people know what they are doing. They work in teams and scout tires and wheels prior to stealing them," said David Moore, public information officer for the Coppell Police Department. "Sometimes they drop one person off, drive off and look out for police, then pick their partner back up once the wheels are off the car. They use cellphones and two-way radios to communicate so they do not get caught."

Moore said the thieves are normally stealing wheels and tires for someone who then sells them for a profit.

"It is hard to get the tires and wheels back because there are not any numbers associated with them," he said. "It is not like a license plate number or a vehicle identification number where we can check the numbers to see if they are the ones missing."

Moore and Stovall said the crimes usually take place at night. Both suggest that residents park their vehicles in their garages, however, both understand that is not possible for many today.

"It is the safest way to make sure nothing happens to your car," Stovall said. "However, garages today are used as storage space for most people, or some trucks and larger cars just do not fit in a garage."

If residents cannot park in their garage, Stovall recommends a motion sensor light to scare off anyone thinking about taking your tires. In addition, he also recommends wheel locks to ensure your property is safe.

"Wheel locks are another great item to secure wheels. The only mistake is that many people will leave the wheel lock key in their vehicle, then they wake up to their wheels gone and their window broken," he said. "Wheel locks can be very effective just as long as the key is on a key chain or inside the home."

Stovall also asks that any suspicious activity be reported to the police immediately.

"We would rather come by and check to make sure nothing is going on rather than coming in the morning to take a report because you have become a victim of theft," he said. "Anything that is out of the ordinary needs to be reported immediately to us, not an hour later."

For information, contact the Carrollton Police Department at 972-466-3330.

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