Should I call the police over minor burglary?

TetraNitroCubane

Last night when I got home, I was careless and left my MP3 player on the seat of my car (It was a Sansa Clip, so it's not especially large or attention getting, but even so it was careless). This morning when I woke up, the MP3 player was gone, but my car had no signs of forcible entry. I do park outside, but all of the doors were locked. They were still locked when I woke up. I have no idea how, but after scouring the car high and low, I can only conclude that somehow someone broke into the car and stole the MP3 player. The MP3 player is obviously missing and not misplaced, because I left it plugged into an audio cable and I returned to my car to find that cable just dangling free. Nothing else appeared missing.

Given that there were no signs of visible entry, and that the MP3 player and flash card in it were worth <$100 combined, should I still call the police about this? I know they'll never recover it, but I don't know if it's even worth bothering them over something so small being stolen, under circumstances where it doesn't even look like my car was broken into. I'm not sure if there are other reasons to file a police report, or if this is just a case where it's a waste of everyone's time.

I guess I'm shook up a little over the idea that someone can just get into my car whenever they want. I never keep any valuables in there as a rule, but it still unsettles me.

Henroid

The crime committed isn't just stolen property. Your vehicle was broken into as well. It'll be worth notifying the police to at least add to the puzzle of possible recurring crimes in an area.

zeromyst

It's probably a good idea to notify the police. If they get more reports of activity in your area, they should look into finding who is behind it.

But yeah, until they they find him/her, your Sansa is gone. Had my iPod nano stolen at the gym couple years back, never got it back - sucks, etc.

TetraNitroCubane

Thanks, guys. I guess I should report it, then. It just feels like saying it was stolen when there are no signs of visible, forced entry would result in the police blowing me off.

I have no illusions about it being recovered, either. I've had a stereo stolen from my car, and a laptop stolen from me at work. Neither of those were recovered, ever. Something this small would be damned impossible to track down, let alone return. I just didn't know if there are any other reasons to file a report, but if it's useful to keep track of crimes in the area, that's a good enough reason for me.

Jam Warrior

Check your car/house insurance, you may be covered for car contents. If so then you'll definitely need a police report to claim.

Henroid

It'll be good to remind people that filing police reports helps in the event of a criminal going on some sort of spree. I hate to use a lame tagline I just read in a Mechwarrior comic, but "Information is ammunition." (meaning it's useful) You don't have to contact 911 if you're afraid of wasting their time. In fact, don't. Look up your local precinct's phone number and call them directly, tell them you're calling to report a crime that isn't an emergency. They'll send someone over to you to handle it.

TetraNitroCubane

I actually just looked up my city's police department process for these types of reports, and they actually have an online process for situations where there is no evidence left behind and it's a non-emergency situation. I filed the report online. It was a pretty painless process.

And I do have renter's insurance, plus proof that I purchased the MP3 player. Hopefully that will be enough to cover the loss, as small as it is.

Thanks again, guys. I guess the only thing left to do at this point is find a way to make peace with this. It makes me extremely worried, I admit. If someone can get into my car so fluidly, I worry about my apartment while I'm gone.

Jam Warrior

As far as that goes, it's 99% more likely you absent mindedly didn't shut a door properly than that someone managed to unlock it.

If someone managed that kind of techno wizardry then they'd probably be nicking the whole car, not just an obvious quick valuable snatch.

Karrmer

Yes, report it. It seems insignificant - and as an isolated case of vehicle burglary it is - but you'd be surprised what detectives do. These kinds of things are often done by people in the area that are burglarizing a whole lot of other cars and possibly homes, and the detectives need this information to develop patterns and build stronger cases. The officer taking the report will probably seem like he doesn't give a shit, but there is a chance one of the detectives in the department just might.

Enc

TetraNitroCubane wrote: »

Last night when I got home, I was careless and left my MP3 player on the seat of my car (It was a Sansa Clip, so it's not especially large or attention getting, but even so it was careless). This morning when I woke up, the MP3 player was gone, but my car had no signs of forcible entry. I do park outside, but all of the doors were locked. They were still locked when I woke up. I have no idea how, but after scouring the car high and low, I can only conclude that somehow someone broke into the car and stole the MP3 player. The MP3 player is obviously missing and not misplaced, because I left it plugged into an audio cable and I returned to my car to find that cable just dangling free. Nothing else appeared missing.

Given that there were no signs of visible entry, and that the MP3 player and flash card in it were worth <$100 combined, should I still call the police about this? I know they'll never recover it, but I don't know if it's even worth bothering them over something so small being stolen, under circumstances where it doesn't even look like my car was broken into. I'm not sure if there are other reasons to file a police report, or if this is just a case where it's a waste of everyone's time.

I guess I'm shook up a little over the idea that someone can just get into my car whenever they want. I never keep any valuables in there as a rule, but it still unsettles me.

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: Yes, because if nothing else it puts a record of theft in the area so should additional crimes occur there is a paper trail that could possibly assist in stopping the crime or creating additional preventative measures in the community when looked at in gross with other reports.

puffycow

What kind of car do you have? A few years ago in college my friend had a late-90s Honda Civic. There is apparently a guide that tells you how to remove and replace a pane of glass and you can do it from the outside. Someone did that and took a whole bunch of his stuff.