Last week’s post about another rise in car thefts — and the Police Department’s advice to residents to increase their “situational awareness” — drew dozens of comments.
They ranged from the consequences of police pursuit (or lack of it), to the wisdom of arming oneself, to the relative crime rates of Westport and Idaho.
One late comment struck a very personal note. Many readers may not have seen it (and many others never read the Comments section).
But it’s worth repeating. Sara Holt — a Westporter since 2015 — wrote:
Yesterday at 3:30 p.m. I pulled into my garage after shopping at Trader Joes and Organic Market.
I got out of my car, and propped my house door open to make carrying groceries inside easier.
As I turned back to my car barely seconds later, I encountered a masked person, in a black hoodie and black jeans, entering my garage.
I am fortunate he did not want a confrontation, and instead turned and ran away.
Sara Holt’s experience was similar to a 2023 incident, in which masked men followed the driver of an Aston Martin into his Bayberry Lane garage. They stole the vehicle, but were apprehended later.
I did not reach for a weapon. (I do not own a firearm, but I have a mean judo kick).
I reached for my phone, and called the police. They came quickly.
They said that often car thieves will follow cars from grocery lots, knowing owners will leave the car (and garage) open to unload.
It’s an opportune time, as often the key fob is still in or near the car (in a purse on the front seat, or in the console). They can steal a car quickly, without confrontation.
So in this instance I am not someone who, as one commenter suggested, can’t reliably lock my car doors.
But I am also not, as a commenter from Florida suggested, a person who believes a concealed weapon would be the solution in this type of situation.
Not the answer, Sara Holt says.
I have also not obsessively locked my car in my garage, while bringing bags of groceries in and out, but perhaps I will now,
No, I won’t! That would be ultimate madness. It’s stressful enough living here with these crazy Westport drivers. I digress…
Be ultra-aware of your surroundings during these times. I am grateful for the Westport Police for having incredible intel on the perps within minutes, and for this encounter to have resolved as it did.
I urge people to understand the dire circumstances that cause young adults to hustle like this to make ends meet. They are often forced into these crimes as they haven’t had access to opportunities, or positive mentors, caregivers or models to show them there is another way to thrive.
Shepherds Mentors in Bridgeport is an incredible organization offering mentorships to disconnected young adults who are motivated to succeed.
I worked for Year Up for 20 years (now Year Up United), helping disconnected urban young adults go from poverty to professional careers — from hustling to tax-paying in a year-lonf program.
Reach out and be part of that solution. Don’t perpetuate a bigger problem by aiming assumptions or weapons at our country’s most vulnerable young adults.
Yes, I want to feel safe here in Westport. But I also realize that in these times, things are really really rough out there — outside of our bubble (and also within).
As for Idaho and Texas: I live on a dark street, with lots of dogs who bark around the clock. We have a security alarm tag on our mailbox at the end of our driveway. And cameras on all sides of the house. And a Ring camera.
And yet I also live 1 hour from New York City, next to 2 highways. So with or without arms, we are prime targets.
I envy your remote locals (and if only I could have grown up in 1970s Westport — epic. It’s jammed now!)
I’d rather lose a car than lose my humanity, by inanely taking the life of another human. Perspective is everything — and we’ve seem to have lost it.
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Geez. If she had a concealed carry weapon she could have held the poor guy for the police and then he could have gotten the treatment to make him an outstanding citizen. She missed a chance to make a difference.
how many people are shot and killed each year by gun accidents ?
Much more than anybody realizes. If you are up against an armed assailant the only smart thing to do is drop and play dead. You have to assume that they have much more experience with violent assault than you do.
How many non threatening accidents occur each year. ? cleaning a gun ? children finding a gun in their own home? Guns accidentally discharged in public ? Hunting accidents like Dick Cheney ?
I was the recipient of a Dick Cheney accident. Bird hunting in Colchester with my ex-brother in law (who was a Westport cop). Luckily I did not get the full pattern and all the pellets lodged within the hairline (no scarring to my classic profile). On occasion, the TSA goons at the airport make snide remarks about it when they run me through the X-Ray scanner.
About 40,000. Every year.
Death by firearm is now the number one killer of children and teens in America. Only in America:
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/guns-remain-leading-cause-of-death-for-children-and-teens
I’d like to know if those frothing at the bit to use their “concealed weapon” are ready to kill a 13 year old thief?
According to our local sheriff, only 14% of people who complete a concealed carry course and obtain a permit ever end up carrying a weapon outside of the home.
With all due respect, Russell, your comment cherry-picks a statistic that includes suicides (a major driver, often tied to mental health crises) and urban homicides (frequently gang-related among older teens), not just random child shootings. The JHU report shows these deaths are disproportionately in high-crime areas, with Black youth rates 18x higher, issues better addressed through community programs than blanket gun bans. It’s not “only in America”; other countries have high youth violence via different means.
As for “frothing” to use concealed weapons: Responsible permit holders (trained and background-checked) see them as a last-resort deterrent in life-threatening situations, like a masked intruder in your garage who could be armed and dangerous, age unknown in the moment. No one wants to harm a kid, but self-defense isn’t about eagerness to kill; it’s about protecting your family when police aren’t there instantly.
You seem to imply banning guns is the fix; does that mean the Revolutionary War and our nation’s independence were a mistake? After all, it was armed citizens rising against tyranny that secured our freedoms, including the 2nd Amendment. We can reduce violence without disarming law-abiding people.
It’s fun waking up the abolitionists 🤣🇺🇸
It’s amusing how these anti-2A cowards hide behind cherry-picked stats while trembling at the thought of real self-defense, proving they’re just spineless virtue-signalers afraid of freedom.
Or they just believe a society with far fewer guns would be a safer society for everyone. The idea that self defense needs to involve shooting people is a sign of how far we have fallen as a society, not of how essential the 2nd amendment is. Recalling the Revolutionary War is as big of a red herring as any argument anti-gun people make.
Wow. Powerful. Personal. Lucid.
I mentioned in the last post not leaving home without your banana, which is a reference to a clever TV commercial for Byrna.com. If you watch TV, chances are you’ve seen the commercial about Byrna. As far as mentioning the 1970s, I’d suggest turning the clock back to the 1950s when I grew up in Westport. We never locked our doors to our house. Bridgeport was a great place to shop in the 1950s. In 1947, when I was born, gas was 19 cents a gallon. 17 years later in 1964, when I got my license, gas climbed up to 28 cents a gallon. It went up 9 cents in 17 years. Those days are gone and will never return! Affordability will never return and I could explain why, but I can’t here, on a blog. But trust me; it’ll never return.
Anyone remember “Charlie the Bum” from Bridgeport? Google him. He became famous because he was the only homeless person in Bridgeport who purposefully remained homeless and refused all job opportunities! The newspaper in Bridgeport even had an article about him, and somewhere I have a copy of it. I saw Charlie once. He was a celebrity! He was homeless in Bridgeport.
I just sent Dan Woog the newspaper article about Charlie the Bum. It’s very interesting.
Ms. Holt has uncommon common sense. This is the world we live in. Even in Westport. Perhaps it’s time for TEAM Westport to broaden its focus ever so slightly. Keep up the good work, but
Wake up to the reality of where we are.
Jack Backiel, that is amazing, one of my close friends, his dad has a meeting of the orginal families of the 5 schools of Bridgeport every holiday season. There are 150 people from their 70s to 90s, and they kick if off by toasting to Charlie the Bum. He would move from place to place, and the guy was a legend. On our topic here, the sad part is that the wealth gap may never get sorted, however we cannot excuse illegal behavior. A few years ago, they were just taking cars. Then it became following to your home and entering garages. In a few years it will be coming into your homes. Too many get careless in this fantasy land in fairfield county and westchester. The police are incredible on their response team, however they have been screaming from the mountain tops for people to pay attention to their surroundings and dont do stupid things like leaving your car running in the driveway or doors open bringing in groceries. The wealth gap has created too much poverty over decades. It stinks. But also, in a changed world, just alays stay on alert…
Adam, From 1946 to 1960, the top 1% of the wealthiest paid 90% Federal tax, except 1946 when they paid 94% Federal taxes. We lived well in the 1950s with a very small wealth gap.
This article expresses a fine sentiment and we should look for ways to provide opportunity particularly to youth in less advantaged circumstances (as opposed to the whiny brats here lol). But it misses the mark. People respond to incentives and sanctions, we haven’t calibrated the sanctions properly. It doesn’t address the cultural rot that puts these kids in these environments, largely what has come out of the progressive left. It fails to point out people have lost their faith, which helps build community. And it doesn’t address that many of these offenders are here illegally from places that don’t share (what used to be) our cultural values. Address the underlying causes don’t just pretend that the kids have been given a bum rap. I’d use an acronym but I’ll get into trouble! And please, read Thomas Sowell.
Huh??? What makes you assume they’re immigrants that have lost their faith? It has less to do with the progressive left, more to do with the situation in this country that has led to higher costs, less opportunity, increased poverty and disenfranchised communities. Your comments seem shortsighted, especially in the light of so many Westporters that have written about the reasons behind the uptick in this type of crime involving youth.
The country has never been richer, and people are living in the best of times. Read Sowell, be open-minded that maybe you’re wrong.
Interestingly, Dr. Sowell is extremely critical of Trump economic policies (https://www.wsj.com/opinion/notable-quotable-thomas-sowell-on-tariffs-uncertainty-economic-damage-009ad0f1) suggesting his tariffs could have the same effect as the those that helped trigger the Great Depression.
Mr. Gallo, Where Long Lots Rd meets up with the PostRd., on the right, there’s a car wash. It used to be Slez and Benos garage 60 years ago. But next door was a house with a front porch and in that house was a young lady, maybe a year or two younger than me , with the last name of Gallo! Any relation or am I barking up the wrong tree?
I remember a young girl named Julia in that neighborhood who babysat, and her brother Ernest. The Gallo’s. Lovely family, like a fine wine.
Julia loved to bowl if I recall.
Helen, It had to be her if she liked to bowl.That would make sense in how I met her.Plus there weren’t a lot of houses in that area. (I think I’m way over 5 comments, so this has to be the last one.)
Helen, If you can track down Julia, I’ll put you in my WILL for 25%. Dan Woog gets another 25% for looking the other way as I post another comment!!
Here’s the problem with the statement that our country has never been richer. Remember in the early to mid 1950s your mother might have said to you, “ Eat your spinach. People are starving to death in China.” They went from starving to the #2 economy in the world, and if they’re not #2, then they’re #3. We will never be the industrial giant we once were. It’s gone and it will never come back! I’m sure there will be an improvement, but it never return to the hayday years.
From one “whiny brat” to another:
Cultural rot? From the progressive left and immigrants?
I suppose these alt-right gun-toting guys and gals are enlightening our culture in some socially redeeming way? white christian nationalists, neo-nazis, oath keepers, proud boys, qanon, groypers. https://www.start.umd.edu/sites/default/files/publications/local_attachments/Extremist%20Group%20Movement%20Affiliations%20of%20the%20January%206%20Capitol%20Rioters.pdf
Mr. Gallo, You cannot possibly believe that a social progressive, flaws and all, has even a speck of the moral dna of the ultra conservative mindset. Today’s flamboyant ultra conservatives have highjacked fair-minded conservatism for sinister purpose.
Their evil “rot” has infiltrated our federal government. Say her name: Renee Good. A white American woman who loved her neighbors and was doing something about it peacefully and with God’s grace.
Well said Tom! These guys need treatment not prison.
In all these comments and articles on the subject of car thefts there is an amazing lack of data. Does someone actually know the by month car thefts in Westport, say for the last two years?? Would be interesting to see the scope of the issue.
Great comment. I’m also curious where these people are casing potential victims. Every supermarket in Town? Just TJs? Specific days and times? One presumes they have a strategy.
Mr. Stern.. interesting that you ask that.The WPD compiles an “annual report” every year (as does the WFD) I thinks it’s mandated. It used to be published online by the old “WestportNow” site. It is a comprehensive report of everything WPD related. Numbers of accidents, parking tickets, assaults, burglaries, robberies, alarms, traffic tickets, hours expended on investigations. You get the idea. And it could always be found online. Then I realized that the last one I could find was for 2009. Well one day the former police chief and I got into it about the lack of traffic enforcement. I pointed out that the WPD used to write 5000-7000 traffic tickets a year. And all of a sudden it was like 5-20 A WEEK. He told me I was wrong. And then lo and behold that 2009 report disappeared as well. BTW a benefit of good traffic enforcement is that sometime when you stop a car you stop a potential crime from happening, like a burglary, the car is stolen, wanted people etc.
The people stealing our cars and sometimes assaulting us are not doing it to feed their families. When they commit these crimes they arrive in a previously stolen car. It’s one big game. Much of it has to do with raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18 from 16. These thugs know that they are only getting a slap on the wrist. Ask the police about the amount of recidivism..
So well written, thoughtful, clear and so much common sense and humanity.
This piece is full of a lot of common sense. Let’s be honest – the ones running their mouths about gun carrying on here are insecure white guys who think the only thing that will stop a changing world is violence, because they don’t have the skills or the wherewithal to deal with it.
(It’s peculiar that these types move far from this area that they dislike and come here to complain about the place they left. We get it. We’re glad you’re gone. We hope your happy. And we wonder why you never acknowledge that Idaho and Florida have higher violent crime rates than Connecticut, if they are such great places with your kind of values.)
That said, “hustle like this to make ends meet” is a troubling way to describe the behavior of car thieves. Squeegee Guy is hustling to make ends meet. The guys who hang out at Home Depot looking for day labor jobs are hustling to make ends meet. Young people who get actual jobs are hustling to make ends meet. This is simply indefensible criminal behavior. With that one comment I think you unfortunately invalidated some other points you made.
You seem like a jerk, just another insecure white guy.
I think it is odd that a gay man would praise Turning Point USA when Charlie Kirk said that stoning people for homosexual acts was “”God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.” Self-loathing much?
If Charlie Kirk actually said homosexual people should be “ stoned” and that was God’s Law, then he was a horrible person! No one should be stoned!
Chris, you need to get your facts He was not literally calling for people to be stoned. Multiple fact-checkers, including Snopes, concluded that Kirk did not directly advocate for executing gay people; rather, he referenced that ancient biblical law in the context of a theological argument and labeled that chapter “God’s perfect law.”
I like to research both sides of an argument and use facts to draw the conclusion. Sometimes the left is right and the right is wrong…sometimes the right is right and the left is wrong.
The stoning passage was in the bible and Charlie Kirk called it “God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.”
If you want to use some pretzel logic to explain that he didn’t mean what he said, good for you. But if you are saying that he didn’t say that, you are dishonest trash.
https://x.com/patriottakes/status/1800678317030564306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1800678317030564306%7Ctwgr%5Eb874a579b34c310bcf17af53b3f6fd2c0df5c33e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advocate.com%2Fpolitics%2Fcharlie-kirk-anti-lgbtq-quotes
Chris, ….calling people trash…or other more direct expletives, which you have many times in the past, because they may have a different opinion than you, says a lot about just how angry, bitter a person you really are. Maturity represents being capable of having a civil dialogue. Time to return to Iceland and cool off a bit.
Two points:
First, you aren’t denying that you were dishonest when I called you out. Sorry that you are offended that I think that lying makes one trash. It speaks more to who I am calling out than to me.
Second, this is the third time in the last couple of years that you have mentioned Iceland in comments about me. (Yes, I have enjoyed the time I have spent in Iceland.)
That you retain this enough to mention it three times is really weird to me. Maybe you should discuss this obsession with Grayson? I don’t know what value you find in adding it to your comments. It’s weird (I presume you’ll be offended by me calling you weird – sorry). Am I really that much in your head that you keep bringing it up? Help me understand your weird obsession with me. And with Iceland, I guess.
If you’re not a white guy and insecure you’re probably not a white guy. You could, however be a jerk.
First of all, I’m so grateful that Sara was not harmed. What a terribly frightening experience. And thank you Dan for reposting her story because somehow I missed last week‘s post.
I have some questions for our police department. First, I would like to know how often this is occurring in Westport?
Also, I’d like to know what specific vehicles are being targeted so we could all be aware?
And the best course of action to take if we become a victim so that we don’t personally get hurt.
Thanks.
The suggestion that people carrying groceries should also have their gun in hand ready to shoot a thief is impractical. That sounds like a recipe for an accidental misfiring that would instead hurt the owner, or a nearby family member, or pet.
Can I make a suggestion that is more practical and failsafe? When you get out of the car with groceries, instead of taking bags into the house two at a time and leaving the car open to return to retrieve the remaining groceries, do this: Unload all the groceries at once and place them on the ground/driveway outside the car. Then lock the car (and/or the garage door.) Then bring the groceries that are on the ground two at a time back into the house. This way, the car is locked and a crime is averted. These criminals are not interested in your groceries.
Also, I can say as a former prosecutor that in my former USAO’s office’s experience, another opportune time for car theft is while pumping gas. Lock your car doors and carry your keys in your pocket while pumping gas.
Or, drive into the garage, close and lock the garage door, then unload the groceries from the car and take them indoors.
Thanks you for your empathetic and pragmatic perspective Sarah!
I’ve had a pistol permit for about 30 years. Shooting an idiot stealing a car is a really bad idea. Give him the car. Paying your insurance deductible is a better option then court, the media and everything else that goes with shooting a dirtbag.
amis in WSPT don’t comment as openly as I do because they don’t want to be “bitten” by anyone in WSPT for being too ‘self defense’ minded, i.e.,
this woman is just simply lucky That One, thankfully, for whatever reason, chickened out. it’s also an advantage to be an adult when this happens, i.e., have a few more years of study reflex responses in the barrel, so to speak, whereas if this happens to some kids coming home, I can’t even imagine how – no words adequate – how stressful this has got to be for parents with teen drivers in WSPT. the added security amis there have installed when this 1st happened to that man a year or so ago is hopefully a deterrent everyone can do too.
I also don’t think this woman realises how much she’s going to change her behaviour because of this, she’s probably still in shock.
def lucky to have been in WSPT when we could eave keys on the seat so you don’t lose them (at the beach) or so people can move it (if they need to when restaurant lots were so full we kind of double triple parked on one another)
White or red tonite Susan?
This car theft issue is not going away anytime soon. We can thank our far left Democratic Leadership in Hartford that continues have a strong hold on power and one way laws when comes to public safety.
The Police Accountability Bill was passed literally almost over night after the George Floyd incident. There was little or no input from actually law enforcement officials. I know our Police Chief was NEVER contacted by our local State Representatives.
Of course there are some good things in the Police Accountability Bill. There are also a lot of not so good things as well.
Police CANNOT engage in a chase. brilliant job Dems. Minors who commit these crimes if caught, are basically released.
These kids know the law. They are not stupid. They have a Phd in street smarts. Yes, Liberals, it’s not all about elite higher education. The streets educate too!
Radom stop? God forbid a officer of the law pulls a vehicle over. The officer has to have a reason. “Suspicious activity or vehicle” driving at 2:00 am down a side street is NOT a reason.
As kids growing up in Westport, we got “randomly pulled over” all the time. Why? We were out late, and it was pretty obvious we were not delivering newspapers!
These liberal lawmakers, including our own Representatives – Jonathan Steinberg, Ceci Mahar, and Dominique Johnson, have created more problems than solutions.
Thanks to these Democratic Lawmakers who have run Hartford for the past 25 plus years the priority is not public safety, not protecting local zoning laws, but a single priority in creating a 1 one size fits all urbanized state, regardless of size, demographics, etc.
Did you know that we have no form of road side testing for “drugged driving (high)”? Thank you again Democrats for adding another layer of danger to driving with the legalization of recreational dope.
A even scary statistic is 38% ( plus or minus 1 or 2%) of the population of Westport are registered gun owners. This will only go up with the continued lack of support and lack of laws allowing law enforcement to protect and serve.
Again, I like Jonathan, Ceci, and Dominique, they are nice people, and I thank them for their service. The question is, who are they serving? Is the priority representing bills and laws that protect the residents of the people they serve, or a greater progressive far left agenda?
Let’s find solutions for these kids. Yes, they need to be arrested, and punishment for these crimes should be more than a “pass back to the streets.”
Put some of these taxes we pay in CT to good use, create work-educational programs as part of the “rehabilitation punishment” where everyone can win.
Today the only winner is the streets, with everyone else losing. More guns and gun permits is not the answer. Police reduced to incident note taking is not the answer either.
I urge my Democratic friends to start speaking up, you guys control the keys to the car that drives Hartford.
A good place to start – February 3rd, I believe all 3 State Representatives are having a “libation and legislation” love fest at Christ and Holy Trinity Church…Unfortunately, due RTM meeting I can’t be there… Dominique, Jonathan, and Ceci have heard me. Have they heard all of you?
Response to Jimmy Izzo, It definitely makes sense not to pursue a speeding car. How about a 110 mph chase on the Post Road near Main St.? It sounds like you”d be fine with that. You can clarify if you want.
Jack..Nobody is chasing a car on the Post Rd. and Main St. at 110mph. Not now not 20 years ago and probably not 40 years ago. Forget state statute, the WPD has always had policy on chases, when appropriate etc.
Jimmy, Respectfully– your legal understanding of the Police Accountability Act is flat wrong in numerous respects. Additionally, your effort to politicize this situation is tone deaf and divisive, particularly in the wake this week of a 37-year-old mother getting killed by ICE in Minnesota this week
Happy Birthday Kris! Just my opinion on the bill, and my general criticism of Democratic Leadership at the state level..not trying at all to be divisive, just making people aware most of bills are created and put into law by a party of 1 – The Democratic Majority of the House and Senate of the state of CT.
Like I said, there are good things in the bill, some not so good…all up for debate…miss ya on RTM!
Thank you, Jimmy, for your thoughtful birthday wishes, both here and on FB. What I’d like from you for my birthday is for you to understand the lack of causal relationship between the Police Accountability Act (PAA) and the increase in car thefts since 2019.
Car thefts were up since 2019 all across the USA, not just CT. Car thefts increased during Covid because of a confluence of factors: Covid created supply-side challenges (because car factories were shuttered during Covid) and heavy post-pandemic demand, so used car prices went up nearly 30% just from one year before, creating greater incentives for car theft. Plus KIA and Honda had vulnerabilities, which bandits published on social media. Moreover, the rise of keyless ignition vehicles created new vulnerabilities, including key fob cloning.
If this increase in car thefts were really caused by CT’s PAA, then one would not observe the phenomenon of uniform car theft increases across the board in the other 49 states since 2020. Those other 49 states obviously are not governed by the PAA.
Moreover, despite the fact that the PAA was not revoked in 2025, we have seen that car thefts have declined in 2025 nationwide. Indeed, CT is not even one of the states with the highest proportion of car theft increases. Alaska, TX and Missouri are all red states, yet have higher car theft rates than CT. https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-states-most-car-thefts-america-11066154
Indeed, in 2025 car thefts declined in the USA all across the country, with the sole exception of one state– Alaska– which is a RED state. As the above link shows, the largest declines of car thefts in 2025 were in Puerto Rico and Washington State–both BLUE.
Also, please be informed that the CT Supreme Court has clarified that the PAA does NOT prohibit our CT police from chasing car thieves, so your assertion in that regard is inaccurate. https://law.justia.com/cases/connecticut/supreme-court/2021/sc20232.html
This is why I objected to your politicization of this issue (particularly in this sensitive week when a mom was killed by law enforcement). Your post is inaccurate.
Nevertheless, I do appreciate your public service on the RTM and enjoyed working with you there for 8 yrs —but please be more factually accurate. Let’s all ensure that understanding real causal relationships remains more important than trafficking in disinformation, soundbites and political rhetoric, particularly during these divisive times.
Thank you Ms. Hamlin for bringing facts to the table. Facts, and more data, help us understand the complexities of this problem. Westport is blessed with an outstanding police force who understand this.
From my classes at the Westport Citizens Police academy, we learned that many if not most cars thefts are managed through large organized theft rings. The adult crime bosses actively recruit minors to steal cars for a number of reasons. For starters, prosecuting minors vs adults is a big reason. The kids who are recruited are vulnerable to the persuasions of these predatory crime bosses— perhaps for financial, social or psychological reasons. It’s complicated.
I would like to see the data linking Westport car thefts to big crime operations, versus how much theft is from a couple of troubled kids acting on their own. That’s a whole different fight.
Ps to Jimmy: politicizing this is pretty shallow. Since your local crew got run out of Dodge, I guess your new schtick is “those darn Dems in Hartford.”
Ms. Hamlin..can’t speak to car thefts in Alaska or across the rest of the country. But the WPD issued a press release on Jan. 7, 2026 regarding the “alarming increase of car theft and attempted car thefts in Westport”. That is where my concerns lie.
Lovely and heartfelt comment thank you. Guns are the problem not the solution and I truly have no words for people who want to risk other people’s lives in high speed chases for the sake of their cars.
For ROlshan,
you don’t live in isolated petri dish, i.e., f the car thieves – and who knows what else they’re going to do in the process of doing that , you dont even want to think about it – aren’t stopped when or very soon after they’re pistol whipping someone to get their car keys and deter them from quickly calling the police then it escalates fr ‘just’ a car theft, i.e., THAT may not bother you but it bothers more civic minded people.
it’s not impolite and it’s not inhumane to defend yourself, your body, your property, your family’s, your neighbours’, to support those who are professionally trained to, etc.
I have a friend who is a detective in Fairfield. I asked him what do the car thiefs (usually kids) say when you arrest them. He told me that don’t really talk at all. They know the system. They bond out (our if they are minors they may not even get a bond). They then go out and just do it again. I don’t think they need to go to prison but what is currently happening isn’t working.
A friend of my sons just called him. He’s living in Fairfield.
He watched from his house as thieves walked up to his locked car ( Audi) and used some kind of jamming device to unlock it. So I guess at least in the case of some vehicles locked or not they can now get in.
They began attempting to hot wire the ignition and at that point he was already dialing 911.
When the police arrived they indicated ( from description of the vehicle these thugs arrived in) that they had stolen an M3 competition bmw in new Canaan this morning.
The police did take fingerprints and hopefully this gang will be busted.
If there is now a device they can unlock cars with then there’s not a lot we can do about it. Most definitely beware if you drive an AUDI.
Certainly don’t assume your personal belongings are safe in a locked car.
Motion sensor lights and cameras. But not sure that will deter.
They always seem masked and hooded.