The handbag and headphones vanished.

The Victim: Mackenzie Crannell

The Crime: Burglary of a motor vehicle

Date: Wednesday, June 26

Time: Between 7:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.

Location: 8000 block of east Mockingbird Lane

Mackenzie Crannell is a dog lover. She and her blue heeler often visit the White Rock Dog Park. The leashfree park is a nice place to let your dog play in a relaxing outdoors atmosphere.

That Wednesday was just like any other day at the park. She usually stayed about an hour with her canine companion, but she planned a bit of a shorter stay that night.

“She left for about 15 or 30 minutes, and when she came back, her car was broken into,” says her father, Dan Crannell.

Someone had smashed in her window and made off with her headphones, handbag and wallet — a loss of more than $500. Crannell says that his daughter had to cancel all her credit cards and that the entire event has been a real pain. However, his dogloving daughter will probably be back at the dog park soon, just not leaving anything in her car.

The car break-in was one of several at the dog park and nearby White Rock Lake Park during the month of June. Officer Joe Schultz of the Dallas Police Northeast Patrol Division says the large majority of auto thefts occur when people leave their vehicles unsecured with expensive belongings in plain sight.

“A burglary of a motor vehicle is one of the most preventable offenses simply by not leaving anything of value in the vehicle,” he says. “It’s important to remember this is a crime of opportunity and can be executed extremely quickly.”

If a criminal sees an empty car, he will often move on to an easier target.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

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The number to dial if you witness any suspicious behavior or have any information regarding the crimes, or in an emergency dial 911 Source