Vehicle prowls reported in Ridgefield

The Ridgefield Police Department is investigating a series of vehicle prowls that happened several nights this week.

The first series of reported call prowls came in Wednesday morning, said Ridgefield Police Chief Carrie Greene. Around eight people reported having items including GPS units, XM radios and loose change taken from their cars, she said.

“Nothing of great value was taken, but you could tell people were in vehicles,” Greene said.

Police initially thought the prowls might have been due to someone cruising into town from the freeway, she said. When a few more prowls were reported Thursday and Friday, they decided that may not be the case.

In most of the cases, the cars were left unlocked. Greene said one victim told police he leaves his car unlocked so thieves won’t damage it if they get inside.

Chief Greene said she isn’t telling residents to leave their cars locked or unlocked, but they should remove or secure valuable items to avoid attracting thieves.

If anyone sees or hears something suspicious or unusual, they should call 911 immediately so police can investigate, a police email said.

If residents have questions or concerns, they can call the Ridgefield Police Department at 360-887-3556.