Warning Issued About Vehicle Break-ins at Hartland's Key Community Center

A rash of vehicle break-ins this summer at the Hartland's key community center off M-59 has prompted Hartland School District officials to put up signs warning users at the popular building as police probe the crimes.

The signs, first put up about two weeks ago, recommend not keeping valuables in vehicles and follows several incidents where windows have been broken not long after someone arrives and items stolen, said Michelle Otis, director of the community education for the district.

"We're just trying to help people protect themselves," Otis said. "It appears that there's something of value in sight."

The facility — called the — is one of the district's busiest buildings that operates year round. It's the home of the Hartland Senior Center, Hartland Gymnastics, a satellite campus for Washtenaw Community College as well as the location for community enrichment programs that range from fitness classes to summer school.

Its auditorium and classrooms are often rented out while youth sports programs use the athletic fields. The district's central administration and alternative high school are also based at the building, which formerly was the high school.

Otis said it appears the thieves watch people arrive, especially targeting vehicles of women who don't have their purses as they enter the building. She said she's unaware of any additional break-ins since the signs went up.

"It's heart wrenching when people come in here and there's nothing I can really do," she said. "I'm hoping people don't give the crooks a reason to break into their cars and hopefully it'll stop. If anyone sees something suspicious, please report it."

The Livingston County Sheriff's Department is currently investigating the crimes and taking steps to help remedy the situation, said Detective Sgt. Gary Childers of the Livingston County Sheriff's Department, who echoed that drivers should take precautionary measures wherever they might be.

Childers said vehicle break-ins in the Hartland area is not a new problem and the community appears to be a "hot spot" in Livingston County for petty crime. But he added that Hartland Township tends to generate more reports because the township has a contract with the sheriff's department for additional protection.

He also noted recent arrests, especially with retail fraud cases at Hartland area stores.

As the source of the vehicle break-ins, Childers said while two major highways intersect in the community — M-59 and U.S. 23 — most cases in the past five years have involved suspects who lived in the area. He said it's historically been teens who do it for sport called "car hopping" or drug users who are looking to support their habits.

"(Some teens) think of it as a non-crime," he said. "We (also) have heroin in the county and if you have heroin, you have theft."

Childers listed several vehicle security tips that included:

• Always lock your car. Most thieves, especially in subdivisions won't smash a window, but will check to see if vehicles are locked.
• Don't keep valuables inside the car or at least don't keep them in plain sight.
• Don't include your exact address in your GPS. There have been cases — although none in Livingston County — where thieves have stolen the vehicle, used a GPS and a garage door opener to rob someone's home.
• Don't keep your garage door opener in your vehicle. This can allow thieves to access your garage.
• Cancel and replace any stolen credit cards immediately.
• Don't keep your gun in your vehicle unattended. With more concealed weapons permits, there have been more thefts of guns from vehicles, Childers said.
• While at home, park your car inside a locked garage if possible.