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KIRKSVILLE, MO -- After a rash of car burglaries and break-ins from Ottumwa down to Kirksville, one of the things we saw that was similar in all of them was that folks simply forgot to lock their doors.

So, I went to Kirksville’s downtown to test out this theory. And up Harrison Street I walked…stopping at every car…looking for a possible victim.

We spoke with Kirksville Police Chief Jim Hughes to get his thoughts on why someone would leave their car door unlocked.

“I can’t come up with a good reason why people leave their cars unlocked.  I think…probably the best explanation I could come up with is how they think this is Kirksville and nothing happens in Kirksville, which we know is not the case,” said Huges.

That’s true…you never know when some unsuspecting morning anchor will break-in your car.

And after a few attempts we found one…and then a second.

So After heading to downtown Kirksville we did find out that most people do lock their doors as they head into work or the courthouse.  So, good job for that.  But, how about your kids?  Are they just as savvy at locking their doors as they head into school?  Well, we went to the Kirksville High School parking lot to find out.

Dressed in our latest high school wear and armed with a back-pack I set out to find some potential crime victims.

During my fact-finding experiment we bumped into one student who explained why he always makes sure he locks his doors.

“Habit…um, we got lots of friends here that like to play pranks and move my car.  So, I try locking it.  Locked my keys in my truck twice last week from doing that”, said Travis Halterman, a student at Kirksville High School.

And sure enough, when we went to his truck…the doors were locked.

But, we did find several unlocked doors.  And very little traffic during class periods gave me enough time to poke around and a potential burglar ample minutes to take as they please.

Most of the vehicles with unlocked doors didn’t contain any valuable equipment. But, others did have things like radar detectors, some after-market audio equipment and is that your football gear in the truck bed?

And a point of information that may make you think twice before leaving anything in your car.

“Theft of valuable inside an auto are not covered generally by the car insurance policy,” said Larry Byars, Owner of Whitney-Harrison Insurance.

And that includes anything and everything not installed by the factory.

“Usually, with most insurance companies the coverage there is going to have to come from either your homeowners’ insurance or renters’ policy,” Byars says.

So…the lesson the fact-finder team wants you to learn is be aware and do everything you can to avoid being a victim because you never know when myself or someone with more malicious intentions will strike again.