GPS thefts on rise locally

LYNN – Thieves from Revere to Peabody, Marblehead to Saugus and every point in between are targeting Global Positioning Units – commonly referred to as GPS units – and police are warning drivers to take precautions.The devices have become a hot purchase item over the past couple of years. Ranging from $200 to $900 apiece, the unit electronically tracks where drivers are located and make it easier for lost drivers to get where they’re going.Their appeal is not only for consumers, but thieves too. And given the nature of what the device is used for, GPS units are easy targets for crooks who know some devices are sitting in empty, unattended cars for hours on end.”In order to help prevent a theft from occurring, when leaving your vehicle, remove not only the GPS Unit, but the mount,” Lynn Police Lt. Dave Brown said. “If a thief is looking to steal such an item and the mount is visible, that could lead one to think the GPS unit is in the glove box or the center console.”Peabody Police Lt. Dennis Bonnaiuto agrees.”Remove any indication that a vehicle contains a GPS device when it’s parked,” Bonnaiuto said.Shopping mall parking lots, such as at the Square One Mall in Saugus and the North Shore Mall in Peabody, are common places where crooks squirm in between cars looking for GPS units.The Hilltop Steak House in Saugus has even posted signs warning customers to remove their GPS units from vehicles while dining.Several GPS units were reported stolen on the North Shore just this past weekend – now a typical occurrence. Two GPS thefts were reported Saturday in the North Shore Mall parking lot and another theft was reported Saturday outside the Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus.Brown points out that in Lynn, GPS thefts have occurred in downtown and residential areas too.”The thefts have not been limited to any specific area of the city,” he said. “They have occurred in east and west Lynn, as well as the downtown area.”On Thursday, March 6, at 4:15 p.m., a Tom Tom GPS unit was stolen from a car on Oxford Street in downtown Lynn after someone smashed a brick through the window.Bonnaiuto urges citizens to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity.”We’d much rather come down and check it out and find out that it’s nothing than coming an hour later and finding someone that’s been victimized,” Bonnaiuto said.