Submitted
Photo one: Trailhead parking lots are becoming an easy target for break-ins.
Photo two: A sign warns visitors of potential theft.
Incidents reported frequently
Spring weather is here and there will be an increase in recreational hikers using hiking access points throughout Vermont. Last year there were numerous car break-ins at various locations, and Vermont State Police are warning citizens not to leave valuable items in their vehicles at the trailheads. Some items often targeted include purses, ipads, ipods, cash, credit cards, debit cards, social security cards, wallets, and jewelry. These crimes occur each summer and into the fall months in Vermont. This is in part due to the ongoing heroin and opiate challenges the state currently faces, police reported in a recent release.
Troopers around the state are sending out a proactive message to citizens to take their valuables with them on their hike or to simply leave valuables at home.
Some areas where frequent car break-ins have occurred in the past are:
Mt. Philo State Park in Charlotte
Camel’s Hump State Park in Huntington and Duxbury
Underhill State Park in Underhill
Snake Mountain hiking access in Addison
Falls of Lana access in Salisbury
Silver Lake access in Goshen
Lincoln Gap access in Lincoln
the Robert Frost Trail in Ripton
If you are a victim of this type of crime, immediately cancel your debit and or credit card. If your social security card is stolen, contact one of the three major credit reporting bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax) to put a security freeze on your credit. The above reporting bureaus can be located online.
Troopers will be conducting proactive patrols at hiking access points throughout Vermont. State Police ask that you contact the local state police barracks where the specific incident took place, should a crime occur.
If you observe any suspicious activity or vehicles at any of the trailheads or hiking access areas, contact the state police barracks covering that specific area.
