Airman’s stolen truck is lesson for all Published Nov. 1, 2006 By Staff Report 21st Space Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- "Oh my God, someone's stealing the truck!" These are not words anyone wants to hear in the morning. I heard them Oct. 16 and they were the only indication my life was being flipped upside down. In the time it took my husband to walk from the truck to our house entrance and yell to me that everything was ready to go and tell me the truck was running, the dog barked and my husband turned to see our pickup pull out of the driveway. The time it took could have been measured in seconds. "The truck is going down the street," my husband shouted. "Someone's stealing your truck!" As soon as this happened I called "On-Star," a satellite based tracking system for our particular vehicle that would be able to locate the truck from their call center. At the same time my husband called the Colorado Springs Police Department. Thanks to the quick reaction of law enforcement and the tracking system, our truck was located in 40 minutes. Fortunately, there was no physical damage but we lost thousands of dollars in personal items. I lost my purse, briefcase, gym bag and many other important items. It took many phone calls to suspend activities and services. After our truck was stolen my husband and I did a little research and we discovered this type of theft in becoming more prevalent. The thieves often target nicer neighborhoods, where people are less suspecting. My family is a prime example, we thought we were safe. We had seen this kind of thing on television but it never crossed our minds that it could happen to us. Often the crime happens like this: three people in wait in one vehicle down the street, casing the area and waiting for someone to start their car and then go back into the house. Two thieves jump into the victim's car and drive to a predetermined location to meet up with the getaway vehicle. By the time they've reached their destination, the passenger has bagged everything of any value and the vehicle is abandoned. We learned a lot from this experience: never keep anything of importance in your vehicle; carry the minimum in your wallet or purse; always be aware of your surroundings, even in the safety of your own yard; know your neighbors and start a neighborhood watch. There are also a few good precautions just in case you are a victim of theft. One thing you can do is have a checklist ready; try to prepare it before you need it. Keep a list of all your bank account and credit card numbers and telephone numbers for customer service in a safe, secure place at home. Make a list of everything from supermarket cards, video rental cards and any other product in your wallet, purse, glove compartment and center console that could be used to tap into your identity, Privacy Act information or make you financially liable. Making these lists up now can keep you from forgetting something immediately after the theft. After a theft it is a good idea to have a blank piece of paper and pen ready to keep track of everything you need to do and everything you've done so far. This will help you not have to worry about remembering everything; you're already stressed enough from the incident itself. After my truck was stolen I took a few steps to minimize the impact the theft would have on my life and to keep a record of what had happened. Some of the things I did right away were: - Reported the incident to the CSPD and got a case number, - Notified my supervisor, - Called my list of financial institutions and places I had special cards for like supermarkets, video rental stores and libraries - Called my insurance company: -- Personal items are usually covered under homeowner or renter's insurance, -- Vehicle damage and re-keying is usually covered under vehicle insurance, - Called one of the credit bureaus and have a fraud alert added (calling one will alert the other two), - Because my key ring was stolen, we changed the house, mail box, and truck locks. Thieves can get your home address from your vehicle registration. - Another good idea is to change the code to the garage door if the remote was in the car. There is a law in Colorado Springs that forbids people from leaving their vehicles unattended and running to help prevent just this kind of crime from happening. In our minds having the truck in sight and turning to shout into the house was not leaving it unattended, however in the future it is a fairly sure bet that no matter how cold it gets we will not leave our car running in the driveway without someone in it. This time we were lucky, we hadn't loaded our daughter into the car yet - only our things were stolen. (Editor's Note: A member of Team Pete recently had her truck stolen and wished to tell her story so others may avoid the same situation. The member has asked not to be identified. )