Witnesses Report Smash and Grabs at Parks, Police Warn Residents

Police are warning residents to not leave purses in their cars, even for a short while, as they've received reports of smash and grabs in which someone breaks car windows to steal purses.

Patch has received two reports of this happening at local parks. One woman said she was at Cedar Lane Park at night on May 23 when she was the victim of a smash and grab.

In another instance, a woman emailed Patch to say she saw an officer talking to the owners of a vehicle that had a window smashed at the parking lot on Guilford Road near the Patuxent Branch Trail on May 21. The woman, Donna Harris, reported seeing another car at the same lot with one of its windows smashed in as well.

Police said victims have reported leaving their purses in locked cars while running short errands and returning to find their car windows smashed and purses gone.

Police advised residents to always take purses out of their cars, even if they're just running in to do something quickly. In addition, police said to immediately report stolen checkbooks to your bank because "many of these thieves are using stolen checks."