It may seem like a no brainer — but local law enforcement says you'd be surprised how often people forget to lock their cars before they go to bed each night.
Consequently, car burglaries are the number one driver of crime in most North Texas cities, including Irving.
“If we could get everyone in Irving to lock their car doors, take their valuables out of their cars, hide their valuables at the very least, we could make a huge dent in the number of crimes that occur here in Irving – and I would say across the Metroplex," said Irving Police Chief Jeff Spivey. "Just those few little steps would make a huge difference.”
It's why he became intrigued when he learned about a new social media campaign that a sheriff's office in Florida launched called the "9PM Routine".
Every night at 9 p.m., the agency would send out a blast across its social media platforms, reminding people to lock their cars, lock their doors, and turn on their porch lights.
"I immediately wondered why aren’t we doing this?" said Spivey. "This is a great opportunity to get some crime prevention information out to the public in a fun way.”
Now, Irving PD puts out nightly posts on its Twitter page, many of them themed for specific days or containing funny pictures or videos.
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"When people are scrolling through Twitter, you want something that will catch their attention and slow them down so they'll actually read what we posted — and do the 9pm routine," said Chelsey Jones, who helps run Irving PD's social media accounts.
They say impression numbers and the responses they've received thus far seem to indicate it's catching on.
"Other agencies around us have picked up on it and it's fun," said Tara Taylor, who also helps run Irving PD's social media accounts. "We're getting crime prevention out there, but it's also fun."
