# Your reaction to cops "helpfully" locking your car door? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 22, 2021, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133 "2021-09-22T19:55:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/61 "2021-09-23T13:41:43Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > The switches on the driver’s door (with windows, mirror adjustment, etc.). On my car, in order to lock the doors, you’d have to lean over to the center console. No switches or levers on the door itself. You basically have to sit down in the seat to reach it. I leave my car unlocked pretty much all the time. Back before I bought everything on credit card, I’d have change in the center. Some mornings, I’d notice that the change had been riffled through, and there seemed to be less silver in there. Big deal, some teenager got a couple bucks in quarters. > [@Loach](#): > > I don’t know what’s happening where you all live but in my 20 plus years of experience when your window gets busted in it’s when you pissed someone off. Or they see something in your car that is more valuable to them than your window is. I used to lock my car at work, but stopped that after finding my window broken. Cost me a whole lot more to replace than the change that they got. > [@pkbites](#): > > Getting out and walking down the main street rattling doors was one of the duties of the third shift officer. But the department had agreements with those businesses to do that and we had keys to those buildings. That’s fine, and I’ve signed a form from the local PD that allows them to do so, and to even enter and investigate if they see something that they deem suspicious (and to call me). But that’s at my business. I would never sign up for something like that at my house. I see my car as being a whole lot closer to my house than my business in terms of my personal property. > [@Loach](#): > > I 100% guarantee that is not the case. The fishing expedition wouldn’t work because there is no way to pin anything on you. Just a waste of time. And the chances of finding anything worthwhile are negligible. So, if they see or smell something, you are claiming that they will just completely forget it? Or, will they make a note of your license plate, and pull you over the next chance they get? Some of us are not as keen as you on always assuming only the most noble of intentions of authority figures and giving them absolute trust in their motives. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised that some use it as a pretext to _plant_ contraband so they can follow it up with a bust. Believe it or not, there _are_ bad cops out there. There’s a [whole thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531) if you need to see some examples. > [@Loach](#): > > I guarantee they are attempting to proactively stop wasting their time. Yeah, cops do a number of things to proactively stop wasting their time, they are often not in the best interest of the people they are supposed to protect, but only in the best interest of the officer wanting to get back to wasting their time on their own terms. > [@Loach](#): > > I know it’s hard to believe but most people are not as easy going about people rifling through their cars to steal things and actually make police reports. The only reason I would make a police report about such a break in to my car is I needed to do so for insurance purposes. I would only have to do that if they had broken my window in order to gain entry. Back when that happened before, I had a beater car with state minimum insurance, I didn’t bother anyone with it. Now I’ve got a better car with comprehensive insurance, so I’d have to waste an officer’s time to come out and take a police report. They sell devices, meant as a survival tool in case your car goes into the water, that very easily, and fairly quietly, break a window. I’m not going to link to it here, but a simple search finds one for about $6. A locked door does very little to deter someone who wants to get into your car. > [@Loach](#): > > When I have heard of similar things happening it’s because the police are being slammed with calls of car burglaries and car thefts that could easily be prevented by just locking their doors. I don’t leave my keys or valuables in my car. I’m not exactly how hard it is to hotwire it, but it’s a whole lot harder than breaking the window. If someone is willing and able to defeat the ignition lock, then I don’t see a window being as big a deterrent as you may think. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/62 "2021-09-23T14:02:41Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > The switches on the driver’s door (with windows, mirror adjustment, etc.). Not on my car. The doors will only lock or unlock when the key fob is present. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/63 "2021-09-23T14:09:30Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I guarantee they are attempting to proactively stop wasting their time While I understand what you mean by that statement. I’d argue that police dealing with cars getting stolen or rifled through is hardly a waste of time. It’s what you signed up for, it’s, at least in part, why they exist. A few days ago there was multiple bomb threats and some of the schools around here. In one of the letters from the school, there was an implication that this was a huge waste of police, sheriff and FBI time and resources (though they did make 4 arrests). Again, I understand that, from the POV of the bomb threats being hoaxes, sure it’s a waste of resources. But until you know it’s a hoax, it’s not a waste of resources. For example, the bomb squad and bomb sniffing dogs are there specifically to find out if the threat is real or not. The fact that no bombs were found didn’t make it a waste of time. > [@Loach](#): > > When I have heard of similar things happening it’s because the police are being slammed with calls of car burglaries and car thefts that could easily be prevented by just locking their doors. I know it’s hard to believe but most people are not as easy going about people rifling through their cars to steal things and actually make police reports. And how much more swamped would you be if half those calls turned out to the the police checking doors. If I see someone walking down the street attempting to open car doors, I’m going to call the police, not check to see if it’s the police. What if the police put out PSAs to remind people to lock their car doors or otherwise do what they can to prevent break-ins? What if they put up extra patrols in areas with problems? There’s a few areas by me that people can almost count on their cars getting broken into on a daily basis. So much so that people sit on their balconies with cell phones recording it on a nightly basis and posting it to facebook. And, FWIW, this is a middle-upper class, mostly white, neighborhood, so extra patrols aren’t going to cause racism issues (ie it’s not sending extra squads to the ‘bad’ neighborhoods). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/64 "2021-09-23T14:13:46Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > . I’m not exactly how hard it is to hotwire it, but it’s a whole lot harder than breaking the window. If someone is willing and able to defeat the ignition lock, then I don’t see a window being as big a deterrent as you may think. This. Modern cars, with fancy chipped keys, are supposed to be hard to hot wire, too. And if you want to steal the car to cut it into parts, you can just tow it. I usually lock the door out of habit, but honestly, if I’m leaving the car in a theft-prone neighborhood, and I’m leaving anything in it that someone might want to steal (bags that don’t actually contain anything valuable, food…) I intentionally leave the doors unlocked to avoid broken windows. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/65 "2021-09-23T14:22:01Z")
Do we even have any actual evidence a police department is doing this? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/66 "2021-09-23T14:24:35Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > if I’m leaving the car in a theft-prone neighborhood, When I read about stuff like this, I really appreciate living in the sticks. If someone wanted to break into our cars, they’d have to get to our home, hiking down 1/4 mile private gravel lane. They’d set off all sorts of motion lights along the way, wake our dogs who would go nuts, and they still wouldn’t be inside the garage where the cars are kept (unlocked). ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/67 "2021-09-23T14:27:06Z")
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=356&width=426&href=https://www.facebook.com/libertymopd/videos/lock-your-doors/892619114681373/ Appears to be the post in question FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/68 "2021-09-23T14:27:37Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Do we even have any actual evidence a police department is doing this? Maybe try googling it. > **[Residents React To Police Checking Unlocked Cars In Western Suburb](https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/st-charles-cars/)** > > St. Charles police have been checking unlocked cars and distributing reminders for residents to lock their cars. > **[One Florida Cop Prevents Car Break-Ins by Checking Every Single Door Himself](https://www.autoevolution.com/news/one-florida-cop-prevents-car-break-ins-by-checking-every-single-door-himself-133007.html)** > > Police don’t tire of warning car owners to always lock their car doors, even when they park in what they consider a safe space, like their driveway... > **[Stafford cops: We’re checking to see if the doors on your luxury cars are...](https://www.app.com/story/news/local/southern-ocean-county/stafford/2021/08/10/stafford-nj-cops-check-luxury-cars-unlocked-doors-night/5563908001/)** > > “We will be knocking on citizens’ doors to notify them of their unsecured vehicle,” police said in a controversial Facebook post. > **[Carlton: Cops opening our cars crosses a line](https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/carlton-cops-in-our-cars-crosses-a-line/2233323/)** > > Citizens do not lock their cars and are astonished — astonished! — to find their vehicles stolen, or at least burgled right down to the air freshener hanging from the rearview. And sometimes it's... ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/69 "2021-09-23T14:29:23Z")
I like that you linked to 3 articles not related to this thread after I’d already gone and found the actual post OP was talking about and posted it, but thanks. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/70 "2021-09-23T14:54:08Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Not on my car. The doors will only lock or unlock when the key fob is present. Then your car is probably the exception to the rule or things are differently manufactured for the UK market (I have it in my memory that you’re from that side of the pond, but, if I’m mistaken, disregard.) In all my vehicles and my wife’s vehicles, it was possible to lock the car from the interior without the presence of a key or fob. I just checked with my 2014 Mazda 3 and my wife’s 2020 Hyundai Ioniq, both key fob models, and the behavior is that if no fob is present, locking or unlocking the door from the outside is not allowed, but the interior switch is fully functional, allowing both locking and unlocking. The unlocking from the interior with no fob presence is particularly important, as it means nobody can lock you inside the car by leaving you locked behind without the fob. Similarly, being able to lock the door without fob presence I’ve found useful as there have been times I couldn’t be arsed to find my keys or otherwise separated from them and wanted to lock the door. Clearly, it’s the usual set-up here, otherwise the situation in the OP wouldn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/71 "2021-09-23T14:55:08Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I like that you linked to 3 articles not related to this thread after I’d already gone and found the actual post OP was talking about and posted it, but thanks. Huh? You asked for evidence, I provided you with FOUR articles talking about police locking car doors. How is that not related to the thread? And your post came in seconds before mine (check the time stamp). I guess spent a little extra time trying to answer your question. But, you’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/72 "2021-09-23T14:56:10Z")
I mean a post with attitude that was lower quality than what I had already done isn’t exactly something I’m in the business of thanking people for. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/73 "2021-09-23T15:09:45Z")
What I’ve learned from this thread is, if you lock your car doors, you’re just asking for trouble; and if you leave them unlocked, you’re just asking for trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/74 "2021-09-23T15:10:03Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I mean a post with attitude that was lower quality than what I had already done isn’t exactly something I’m in the business of thanking people for. Do you have some kind of issue with me? Why are you annoyed that my posts is, by your standards, lower quality? You asked for evidence, I provided said evidence. If it’s not up to your standards, ignore it or tell us what you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/75 "2021-09-23T15:42:29Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I guarantee they are attempting to proactively stop wasting their time. I’ll double-up on that guarantee. That’s exactly what they’re doing. I don’t think they thought it through. But… > [@“Joey\_P](#): > > I have a funny feeling they’d watch for the person to drive away and find a reason to pull them over and then ‘notice’ the contraband. I can all but guarantee that’s true, as well, should the situation come up. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > I provided you with FOUR articles talking about police locking car doors. Thanks for those links. I’m not sure how I’d feel about the cops just testing the car doors and ringing my bell if they found one unlocked. I have had a cop tell us that somebody was caught breaking into cars in the parking lot and suggest that we go check our vehicles. I thought that was cool of them. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/76 "2021-09-23T16:39:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Then your car is probably the exception to the rule or things are differently manufactured for the UK market (I have it in my memory that you’re from that side of the pond, but, if I’m mistaken, disregard.) I’m not a guy who goes through vehicles every couple years, but over the past 20 or so I think all my door locks worked without fobs (power windows, no—key needs to be in ACC position for that because of the battery drain). But maybe manufacturers are phasing that out for whatever reason or it’s European vs. USA variation. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/77 "2021-09-23T16:50:26Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I don’t know what’s happening where you all live but in my 20 plus years of experience when your window gets busted in it’s when you pissed someone off. What is very common is someone going through a neighborhood in the middle of the night and tossing the interiors of the cars. Enough people leave their cars unlocked that there is no need to break windows. Messy and noisy. What is becoming more common is going through cars and finding the unlocked ones with the key fobs left in. Those get found trashed in Newark. Or burned up. One morning while living in Little Rock, I went outside to find that the driver’s side window of my truck had been smashed in and someone rifled through my vehicle. Looking across the street I could see that someone smashed out the window of my neighbor’s car as well. Looking farther down the street I could see yet another vehicle with its window smashed out. The other two times I had my car broken into while living in the same house they were nice enough not to smash the window. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/78 "2021-09-23T17:06:03Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I mean a post with attitude that was lower quality than what I had already done isn’t exactly something I’m in the business of thanking people for. > [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I mean a post with attitude that was lower quality than what I had already done isn’t exactly something I’m in the business of thanking people for. Moderating: Cut it out. If you think someone is actually threadshitting or being nasty to you, report it. But those posts aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/79 "2021-09-23T17:25:33Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I’m not sure how I’d feel about the cops just testing the car doors and ringing my bell if they found one unlocked. I wondered about that as well. They could likely come up with a phone number or address for the car, based on it’s plate or VIN and, if convenient, make contact with the owner. But that still means they have to attempt to open each car door, which puts us right back in the same place. On the one hand, I don’t know what the answer is. Lock your doors and get your window broken, don’t lock your doors and have your car rifled through because it’s an easy mark. On the other hand, what ever the answer is, I know it doesn’t involve cops walking up and down the block opening car doors to see if they’re locked. It really does seem like they’re just begging for an illegal search and seizure case. With so many people having doorbell cameras, dash cameras, cell phone cameras etc. It won’t take long before someone gets pulled over 20 feet away from their house and the cop, almost magically, finds something illegal in their car (not that they planted it, just that they knew where it was) and someone produces a video of the cop going through the car in the middle of the night. Even better if he says something stupid to his partner out loud like ‘Look, I found a bag of weed, I’m gonna make sure to pull this guy over in the morning’. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133/80 "2021-09-23T17:38:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > > > I mean a post with attitude that was lower quality than what I had already done isn’t exactly something I’m in the business of thanking people for. > > > [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > > > I mean a post with attitude that was lower quality than what I had already done isn’t exactly something I’m in the business of thanking people for. > > Moderating: Cut it out. If you think someone is actually threadshitting or being nasty to you, report it. But those posts aren’t. Point taken but I think you messed up how you were quoting messages there FWIW. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > > > I’m not sure how I’d feel about the cops just testing the car doors and ringing my bell if they found one unlocked. > > I wondered about that as well. They could likely come up with a phone number or address for the car, based on it’s plate or VIN and, if convenient, make contact with the owner. But that still means they have to attempt to open each car door, which puts us right back in the same place. > On the one hand, I don’t know what the answer is. Lock your doors and get your window broken, don’t lock your doors and have your car rifled through because it’s an easy mark. > On the other hand, what ever the answer is, I know it doesn’t involve cops walking up and down the block opening car doors to see if they’re locked. > > It really does seem like they’re just begging for an illegal search and seizure case. With so many people having doorbell cameras, dash cameras, cell phone cameras etc. It won’t take long before someone gets pulled over 20 feet away from their house and the cop, almost magically, finds something illegal in their car (not that they planted it, just that they knew where it was) and someone produces a video of the cop going through the car in the middle of the night. Even better if he says something stupid to his partner out loud like ‘Look, I found a bag of weed, I’m gonna make sure to pull this guy over in the morning’. I think the “leave them unlocked to protect your windows” crowd is in the wrong as a matter of risk assessment. I think the population of thieves who will steal from an unlocked house or car, is much higher than is the population that will break either of those open. Now, the $ loss in the case of locking your car could be greater because of the broken window, but even that isn’t certain–that assumes nothing valuable is left in the car and that they don’t just steal the entire car itself, or remove something expensive from inside the car like the stereo etc that is just as expensive to replace as the window. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-reaction-to-cops-helpfully-locking-your-car-door/951133.md?page=5)