Bangor Police Urge Residents Not To Leave Firearms In The Car

The Bangor Police Department is urging residents to be careful, lock their vehicles, and please take the firearms with you when you go.

Car burglaries are a fact of life, especially this time of year. The weather gets warmer and thieves like to take walks through your neighborhood. It's a leisurely stroll, as they wander from driveway to driveway, checking car doors for any that might be unlocked. If they find one, it only takes a few seconds to rifle through the contents, checking glove compartments, under seats, in center consoles and any storage cubbys for change, electronics, cash, whatever.

But, as frustrating as it is to find that your GPS is gone, imagine the feeling when you realize that you left your handgun on the seat and didn't lock the doors. Obviously it's now in the hands of a less-than-reputable person, and could be used in any number of crimes. It happened this week in Bangor. But the story has a weird and somewhat happy ending. See, the handgun was found in another car that had been burglarized. I would assume the thief put it down in order to search the car with both hands, and just forgot to pick it up. It's double-bad news for the perpetrator because, not only did they leave behind the most valuable thing they stole, but they also tied those two car burglaries together.

Seriously, folks, I've had my car burglarized twice. Luckily, the most expensive thing I ever lost was a bottle of Tide. But now, I'm always locking my car, even in my driveway. It's good advice. Keep it locked, take your valuables with you when you get out of the car. And Bangor Police advise, if you have to leave the firearm in the car, invest in a car vault for your vehicle.