HICKORY, N.C. — Police went door-to-door in a Hickory neighborhood after someone broke into nearly a dozen vehicles, stealing guns and a blue light from a retired police officer.
Frank Hill discovered on Wednesday morning that someone rifled through his pickup truck overnight and took his .380 handgun along with a police knife and souvenir blue-strobe light.
"Between spending 20 years in the Navy and 22 years as a law enforcement officer with the government, I want to stress on people -- don't do what I did. It was a mistake," Hill said.
Police passed out fliers Wednesday morning warning people to remove items from their vehicles and lock them overnight.
Authorities went to a nearby shopping center and immediately spotted valuables inside vehicles.
"There's a purse in that one," Hickory policeman Terrence Cansler said.
Those items that are visible are a target for thieves anywhere at any time.
"Even in the privacy of their own driveways, people are still becoming victims," Cansler said. "We got people out walking neighborhoods, checking vehicles."
There was a report of more items stolen out of vehicles in the area, including headphones, a gun, knives and shoes.
In all the cases, the vehicles' doors were unlocked.
Jerry Kowalski found items had been taken from his van.
"I've always done this (locked vehicle)," Kowalksi said. "It was one of those things where I must have gotten distracted and forgot to lock my car door. How would they have known it, anyway?"
Police believe the thief or thieves strike late at night and leave locked cars alone.
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