HOUSTON – Car break-ins rank at the top of a list of crimes at area movie theaters, according to a Local 2 Investigates review of police reports written for the past two years.
"Crooks want anything that they can sell or pawn -- electronics, anything attached to the front windshield, such as radar detectors or GPS devices," said Detective Samuel Cerda, with Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Local 2 totaled up the number of police reports written at many area movie theaters. In addition to reports classified as burglary from motor vehicles, other types were reported often.
The director of operations for Premiere Cinema says his goal is to make the property as safe as possible for moviegoers.
The top five theaters with the most police reports written are:
- #5. Regal Cinema, at 3839 Weslayan Street in Houston, with 59 crimes
- #4. Cinemark Tinseltown 290, at 12920 Northwest Freeway in Houston with, 63 crimes
- #3. AMC Studio 30, at 2949 Dunvale Road in Houston, with 151 crimes
- #2. Premiere Cinema Renaissance 15, at 12300 North Freeway in Houston, with 307 crimes
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#1. Regal Marque Stadium 23m at 7600 and 7620 Katy Freeway in Houstonm with 456 crimes
"We are always considering the safety of our patrons," said Joel Davis, with Premier Cinema. "On weekends we have off-duty sheriff's deputies. We try to take every precaution for people's safety."
Premier Cinema and Regal Marque Stadium are located near malls, so it is possible some reports might have been made by shoppers who parked near the theater but did not attend a movie.
Cerda suggests putting away anything that could catch a crook's eye.
"Car chargers tell me there could be some electronic device in the car. Don't leave car chargers visible," Cerda said.
Often crooks will try to open door handles to see if cars are unlocked, he added.
"You want to make your car as least attractive as possible -- no bling on the inside, remove anything that is sellable or that could bring money to a criminal," Cerda said.