PAPD and area law enforcement agencies are seeing a significant increase in gasoline and other fuel theft from vehicles that are parked and unattended. In the 1970s and well into the 1980s locking gas caps were very common due to the increase in fuel thefts during that era.
We recommend owners of vehicles consider taking measures to prevent fuel thefts. These include of course locking gas caps, parking vehicles in a manner that make it hard or impossible to access the fuel filler and the use of cameras and lighting.
Person who have experienced property loss due to fuel theft can call PenCom (360 452 4545 ex 1) and ask to talk with an officer or go to the PAPD webpage and complete an online crime report. The value of the online report is that it allows the Police Department to capture the data, puts the incident on the online crime map and can be used when a suspect is caught to connect them to cases with a similar m/o.
The Police Department today developed vehicle and suspect information from an online crime report More to follow on that case and thank you!