Lock, Take, Hide

The Texas Department of Public Safety's Lock, Take, Hide campaign is the single best way to think about everyday vehicle security. More than half of vehicle burglaries in Caldwell County involve a vehicle that was left unlocked or had visible valuables inside.

Cars & SUVs

• Park in a well-lit area, ideally under a streetlight or a motion-sensor floodlight.
• Roll up all windows fully — even a small gap is enough for a hand to reach the door handle.
• If your car has a panic button on the key fob, keep the fob on your nightstand at night. If you hear a noise outside, press the panic alarm — most thieves run.
• Consider an inexpensive steering-wheel lock (like a "Club"). They are not invincible, but they add 30+ seconds to a theft attempt and most thieves move on.
• If the vehicle has a removable face plate on the stereo or a portable GPS, remove it and stow it in the trunk before you park.
• Never leave a firearm in an unlocked vehicle — Texas law and common sense agree.

What thieves look for in a parking lot

• Visible bags, purses, laptops, or shopping bags
• GPS suction-cup mounts (even with the GPS removed — the mark on the windshield says one is in the glovebox)
• Loose change in the center console
• Charging cables plugged into the dash — usually means a phone or laptop is nearby
• Garage-door remotes clipped to the visor

Catalytic-Converter Theft

Catalytic converters contain platinum, palladium, and rhodium and can be cut out of a vehicle in under three minutes with a battery-powered saw. They are one of the most-stolen items in Central Texas. Trucks, SUVs, and hybrids with high ground clearance are the most-targeted vehicles.

How to harden your vehicle

• Etch your VIN. Some auto-parts retailers and the Sheriff's Office can etch your vehicle's VIN onto the converter. An etched converter is much harder for a thief to sell to a scrap recycler.
• Install a converter shield, cage, or "cat strap." Aftermarket shields that bolt around the converter add 15-20 minutes of cutting time and usually send a thief looking elsewhere.
• Park indoors when possible. If you have a garage, use it.
• Park close to the building or against a wall. Park so the exhaust side of the vehicle is against a wall — a thief can't slide under from that side.
• Calibrate your alarm. If your vehicle has an alarm with a tilt or vibration sensor, set it to the highest sensitivity. The drilling and sawing required for converter theft will trip it.
• Insurance check. Verify your auto policy includes comprehensive coverage; converter theft falls under comprehensive, not collision.

Texas law

Under Texas Penal Code §31.03, theft of a catalytic converter is a state-jail felony regardless of value. Texas also requires metal recyclers to verify identification and hold catalytic converters for purchase records — if you have a serial number or VIN etched on yours and it is recovered, it can be returned to you.

Key-Fob Relay Attacks

If your vehicle uses a "smart" key (one that unlocks the doors and starts the engine while remaining in your pocket or purse), thieves with a cheap radio relay device can amplify the signal from the fob inside your house and use it to unlock and start the vehicle in the driveway. The technique takes about 60 seconds and requires two people standing close to the house.

How to defeat it

• Store your key fob in a Faraday pouch (a small signal-blocking bag, available online for under $15). Drop it in the pouch at the front door.
• Store the fob in a metal coffee can, a small safe, or even the refrigerator — anything that blocks radio signals.
• Keep the fob as far from the front of the house as possible — back of the house, upstairs, or in a basement.
• Turn off the fob's motion-sensing feature if your vehicle allows. Some manufacturers (Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota) let you disable the constant-broadcast mode through the vehicle's menus.
• Some vehicles support a PIN-to-Start feature — enable it.

Trucks & Tools

Pickup trucks loaded with tools, fishing gear, or work equipment are heavily targeted in our area, especially in early-morning parking lots, hotel lots along I-35, and at job sites.

• Use a locking toolbox bolted to the bed rails. Plastic boxes that ride loose in the bed are the easiest target.
• Photograph and record serial numbers on every cordless tool, generator, and pressure washer. Most contractors lose $20,000 in tools per truck if they are robbed.
• Add a hidden GPS tracker (battery or hard-wired) to the truck. Recoveries are dramatically faster.
• If you tow a trailer, see the next section.
• Don't leave the title or registration in the glovebox — see Registration Hygiene.

Trailers, ATVs, Side-by-Sides & Equipment

Trailer and ATV theft is one of the most common property crimes in rural Caldwell County. A thief can hitch up an unsecured trailer in under 60 seconds.

Trailer hardening checklist

• Use a coupler lock that fully encloses the ball-receiver opening (a "puck lock" style is stronger than a pin lock).
• Add a wheel lock or boot to one of the trailer tires when parked long-term.
• Chain the trailer to a permanent anchor (steel pole set in concrete, a tree, the building) with a hardened-steel chain and closed-shackle padlock.
• Back the trailer in so the tongue is against a wall or building.
• Remove license plates from trailers that are parked long-term so a thief cannot drive it down the highway without immediately drawing attention.
• Engrave or stamp your driver's-license number on the trailer frame in two hidden spots.

ATVs & UTVs

• Lock the ATV inside the trailer or outbuilding.
• Use a disc lock or chain lock through the wheel and the trailer frame.
• Remove the key when parking, even on private property.
• Install a kill switch — these can be added to most ATVs for under $50 and disable the ignition unless a hidden switch is flipped.

At the Gas Pump & Loading Dock

"Slider" thefts at gas stations are an organized crime style: while the driver is fueling and looking away, a second person sneaks up on the passenger side, opens the unlocked door, grabs the purse or bag from the seat, and walks off.

• Always lock the doors when you step out to pump fuel, even for a minute.
• Keep your purse, wallet, or laptop bag with you when you go inside the store — never leave it visible on the seat.
• When loading groceries or cargo, lock the driver's door behind you on the way to the cart corral.
• If you see someone approach a vehicle other than their own at a pump, take a photo or video and call dispatch.

Registration & Glove-Box Hygiene

The original registration and proof of insurance are required to be in the vehicle in Texas — but think carefully about what else you leave behind.

• Keep insurance and registration in a small zipped wallet that you can grab in seconds — not in a stack with bank statements or pay stubs.
• Don't leave the title, garage-door remote, house keys, or mail with your home address in the glovebox.
• If a thief gets your registration and your garage-door remote, they have your address and a way into your house. This is one of the most common burglary patterns we see following a vehicle theft.
• If your car is stolen, immediately change the locks on your house and reset your garage-door opener code.

If Your Vehicle Is Stolen

1. Make sure it was actually stolen. Confirm it wasn't repossessed (call your lender), towed (call the City of Lockhart or the City of Luling police if parked in city limits), or borrowed by a family member.
2. Call the Sheriff's Office non-emergency line at (512) 398-1800 if you're outside city limits. Have your VIN, license plate, year/make/model, and color ready. If the theft is in progress or you just witnessed it, call 911 instead.
3. Notify your insurance company. Most policies require notification within 24 hours.
4. Activate any GPS trackers or factory anti-theft systems (OnStar, BlueLink, FordPass, etc.). Provide the tracking information to dispatch.
5. Cancel or freeze anything that was in the vehicle: credit cards in the wallet, fob credentials, hotel key cards, etc.
6. If the vehicle was stolen with the key still in it, change your house locks — the keychain often holds your house key too.

Reporting & Recovery

The Sheriff's Office enters every stolen vehicle into the Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) and National Crime Information Center (NCIC) immediately. License-plate readers across Texas highways will flag the plate the next time it passes.

If your vehicle is recovered, you will receive a phone call from dispatch or the recovering agency. There may be a tow bill associated with the recovery — Texas law allows the property owner to charge for storage, but those fees can sometimes be waived or covered by insurance.