Car burglaries triple at Lady Bird Lake

AUSTIN (KXAN) - His job description says ground maintenance, but Rocky Flores said lately he's felt like a security guard.

"They think I ain't looking, but I'm looking,” he said. “I'm watching."

Driving his Austin Parks Department golf cart, Flores recalled a lap a few weeks back when he caught a car burglar breaking in.

"He saw me coming and ran,” he laughed.

Cars are often an easy target at Auditorium Shores. A stroll through one lot revealed CDs, an iPod, and – where there's a charger – there could be a phone. Opportunities like that lately have left Austin Police to investigate three times as many car burglaries as last year in the place where hundreds work out and play every day.

Jan. 1 – March 19

• 2008 – 18 burglaries
• 2009 – 17 burglaries
• 2010 – 56 burglaries

"The easiest way to become a victim is giving the crooks an opportunity to make you a victim,” said Officer Veneza Aguinaga.

If thieves can make off with what's inside your car, chances are they can make off with your entire car, too. Auto theft can be a problem near a park like those around Lady Bird Lake, so it is important to leave clues for police in case they retrieve your stolen vehicle.

• Drop one of your business cards right down inside the door, so they can find you quickly.
• Try scratching or engraving your VIN number right into the windshield or into your tint.
• And the first thing police will ask for when you report a stolen vehicle is your license plate number.

"When you call to report and say, 'My vehicle was stolen,' well, how are we going to identify it?" said Aguinaga.

Some at the park never let their cars out of their sight.

"Make sure to park in an open area where there's people walking around,” said Andrew Smith.

"With SXSW going on,” explained Cameron Schmucker, “there's a lot of people who are not local, so maybe they don't understand the area well enough to understand that there is real crime that happens."

Flores knows real crime and continues to keep an eye on everyone – even the burglars.

"With weather like this, everybody comes out,” he chuckled as he sped away.