Police in the 76th Precinct in Carroll Gardens are taking an unusual approach in the hopes of stopping the thieves before they strike.
It shouldn't come as a galloping shock that when you park on the street, someone will always be lurking nearby and waiting to see if you've left something tantalizing behind to steal.
"I do leave things in the car like baseball equipment, phone, sometimes I forget it," one driver said, "I've even left a door open."
She isn't' the only one who tempts fate on one block in Carroll Gardens, where Eyewitness News found the mother lode lying in plain sight.
Everything from a fishing rod, and sporting goods, to a fully loaded duffel bag, a child's bike, and even some fake plastic noses.
So nobody would steal fake plastic noses.
But at the 76th Precinct, they've noticed an uptick in this kind of property theft.
So they've come up with a unique way of reminding people to keep their valuables out of sight.
Starting next week, burglars armed with crowbars will meet their match.
Cops, with cameras will be the ones peering into parked cars.
They'll snap away at whatever they see inside.
Then, after running the license plate, will send pictures to the car's owner along with a flyer saying if they can spot the item, so can a thief!
"I think it's a good idea, just inform people that this is the big apple and this is the way things are. It's not rural America where you can leave your doors open," one resident said.
"In this neighborhood there's a problem with double parking, speeding, I'd rather they focus on those issues," another resident said.
Whatever you might think of the plan, it'll start next week in parts of the 76th Precinct.
Cops hunting not just for items in cars, but also for open doors and windows of homes in the neighborhood, in hopes a little common sense will curtail a lot of crime.
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