By Ted Toedte, CPS, Crime Prevention Specialist, WCSO
It only takes a minute. You run into the store for a gallon of milk, leaving the car running with the AC on to fight off the Florida summer heat, doors unlocked “just this once.” You walk back out to an empty parking spot. By the time you realize what happened, the car, and whatever was inside it, is already gone.
August is the final peak month of summer travel, and with it comes heightened national attention on property and vehicle crime. The National Crime Prevention Council and NHTSA use this month to spotlight a simple, seasonal problem: with more people traveling, more cars sitting in driveways and parking lots, and more valuables left in plain sight, vehicle theft and break-ins tend to climb. The good news is that most of it is preventable.
Vehicle thefts nationally have actually fallen for two straight years, largely thanks to better anti-theft technology and closer cooperation between automakers and law enforcement. But the crime hasn’t disappeared, and one part of it is creeping back up: catalytic converter theft, which had dropped sharply, is rebounding in some cities as precious metal prices climb again. A converter can be cut out from underneath a parked car in under two minutes.
Here at home, WCSO’s message hasn’t changed in years, and it still works: hide it, lock it, take it. Deputies say the overwhelming majority of the car burglaries they respond to involve a vehicle that was left unlocked, with something valuable sitting on the seat. It’s an easy crime to prevent and an easy one to become a victim of if you skip the basics.
What Our Local Data Shows
A five-year look at our own case data backs up the national trend: reported auto thefts in Walton County fell from 67 in 2021 to 27 in 2025, a decline of roughly 60 percent. That’s real progress, and it lines up with what NICB is seeing nationwide.
The more useful finding is where these crimes are happening. Over the last five years, 56 percent of all reported auto thefts in Walton County occurred at a residence or apartment, and another 10 percent happened in a parking lot or garage, together accounting for two out of every three incidents. Roadway thefts were a distant third at 12 percent. In other words, this isn’t primarily a retail-lot or highway problem; it’s a driveway, carport and apartment-complex problem.
CPTED for Apartments and Parking Lots
Because residential and multifamily properties account for most of the thefts we see, this is exactly where Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) makes the biggest difference.
WCSO’s Crime Prevention Division offers free CPTED assessments for apartment complexes, HOAs and parking lots. A walkthrough looks at lighting levels, sightlines between units and parking areas, landscaping that may be hiding vehicles from view, and where cameras would do the most good.
Property managers and HOA boards can request an assessment at no cost, and many of the fixes we recommend are low-cost changes that make a real difference in reducing crimes of opportunity.
One more way to help: register your home or business security cameras with WCSO at waltonso.org/camera. It doesn’t give deputies live access to your feed; it simply lets us know a camera is nearby so investigators can reach out if footage might help solve a case. Walton County also partners with Flock Safety’s license plate reader network, which has made it dramatically harder for someone to steal a car here and simply drive away. In one stretch in September 2024, Flock alerts led deputies to three separate stolen vehicles in just over 24 hours, resulting in five arrests. If you already have a compatible camera, you can add it through the Flock Safety Community portal to help extend that coverage even further.
Businesses, HOAs and community groups can also help spread the word. WCSO’s Crime Prevention Unit has “Hide It, Lock It, Take It” rack cards and metal yard signs available at no cost for any business, apartment complex or neighborhood that wants to help reinforce this message locally. Reach out to us to request a supply for your lobby, clubhouse or parking area. You can call 850-892-8111 or email crimeprevention@waltonso.org.
None of these steps take more than a few minutes, but together they make Freeport a harder target for the crimes of opportunity that drive most vehicle theft. Do your part this month: hide it, lock it, take it.
Ted Toedte is a Crime Prevention Specialist and certified CPTED practitioner with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, with more than 30 years of law enforcement experience in Florida and California.
Vehicle Theft Prevention Checklist
- Hide it: Never leave purses, electronics, or packages visible on a seat, put them in the trunk before you arrive, not after you park.
- Lock it: Lock every door, every time, even in your own driveway. Most car burglaries in Walton County involve an unlocked vehicle.
- Take it: Never leave keys or a fob in the car, even “just for a minute.”
- Park in well-lit areas and, where possible, off the street or behind a fence.
- Consider a steering wheel lock, kill switch, or GPS tracker for added protection.
- If you drive a hybrid or truck, ask a local shop about a catalytic converter shield, theft of these is rising again.
