NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 15, 1998

CARY GEARS UP FOR WATCH YOUR CAR PROGRAM

CARY, NC -- The Town of Cary is mounting a vehicle theft prevention effort by joining with cities throughout the state in Watch Your Car North Carolina--a program launched earlier this fall by the North Carolina Department of Crime Control & Public Safety. Watch Your Car North Carolina offers citizens the opportunity to register their vehicles with local law enforcement agencies and sign an agreement giving permission for officers to stop that vehicle between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM to make sure that the person driving is authorized to do so. Program participants are given decals to be placed in the front and rear windows of the vehicle, alerting law enforcement and would-be car thieves that this vehicle is part of the statewide program.

To kickoff the program locally, the Cary Police Department will be offering free, on-site program registration on Saturday, December 19th from 9:00 AM to noon at the Cary Police Department. Motorists will need to bring a photo identification along with their vehicle, its current registration, and proof of insurance to the police station, located on the lower level of Town Hall Building A, 316 N. Academy Street.

"We’re very excited about being able to offer this service to Cary citizens," said Cary Community Services Officer Tracey Barker. "Drivers who volunteer for this program will have done a lot to protect their property."

In addition to joining a statewide network of specially marked and registered vehicles, participants in Watch Your Car will receive valuable information on preventing car theft as well as a self test to determine how safe their vehicle really is.

Last year, 141 vehicles were reported stolen in Cary. Through October of this year, Cary has seen 125 vehicles stolen. According to the State, a vehicle is stolen somewhere in NC every 22 minutes.

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PRIMARY CONTACTS Officer Tracy Barker, Cary PD, 469-4324
Bill Coleman, Town Manager, 469-4002
Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, 460-4951