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Car Thieves Target Puffers in Cold Weather – NBC4 Washington

Car Thieves Target “Puffers” in Cold Weather

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Car Thieves Target “Puffers” in Cold Weather

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Car thieves in Prince George`s County, Maryland, have been targeting morning commuters who leave their cars running, but unattended, during the latest open up of cold weather.

Police reports and a series of undercover surveillance by the News4 I-Team showcase a rash of latest car thefts and widespread risk among drivers who idle their cars in their driveways during the morning rush hour.

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Prince George`s County Police reports showcase two hundred forty four car thefts inbetween Jan. One and Jan. 29. However a decrease from the same period in 2014, police said the large number of thefts shows criminals are capitalizing on the cold weather practice of «car heating.» A Prince George`s police official said numerous car thieves have been canvassing the county, some as early as five a.m., looking for unoccupied cars being heated in driveways. County police use the phrase «puffers» to describe the cars, a reference to the puffs of tailpipe emissions lightly seen from a distance by thieves.

Prince George`s County Police Cpl. Nicole Hubbard said the thieves operate efficiently and specifically target the coldest weather weeks to maximize their targets.

“This is their job,» Hubbard said. «They get up in the morning, just like you go to work.”

A specialized Maryland police task force, the Washington-Area Vehicle Enforcement (WAVE) team, is conducting undercover sweeps to catch thieves attempting to target «puffers.» The unit has also been stopping – and in some cases issuing citations to – car owners who warm their automobiles without remaining inwards of them. Maryland law prohibits “car heating,” leaving a car unaccompanied while it runs. The task force includes Prince George`s County Police, Anne Arundel County Police, Maryland State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

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I-Team cameras found dozens of «puffer» cars in a pair of surveillance efforts in Prince George`s County in January. In one example, a driver left her car unattended and heating for more than twenty minutes before police asked her to come out of her home and liquidate the car keys from the ignition.

Police issued a warning to a driver who`d used an «auto begin» device to warm her car while she was in her home showering.

«I have leather seats, so the seats are super cold,» that woman told the I-Team. «Right now I have on two layers and I can still feel (the cold).”

The I-Team also captured pics of suspected car thieves targeting patrons at local gas stations. WAVE team officers stopped and arrested a pair of suspected thieves who`d circled gas stations near Central Avenue in Capitol Heights. I-Team cameras captured photos of the arrest, in which police reported finding a loaded handgun and a large amount of marijuana. In numerous latest cases, gas station security cameras showcased thieves quickly pouncing, stealing cars in which drivers left the engines running while standing away from the vehicle.

Hubbard said the thieves who target «puffers» have often been linked to other crime rings, using the proceeds derived from the stolen cars to fund other criminal activities.

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