The high price of gasoline hasn’t resulted in a lot of drive-away incidents at gas stations yet, but several homeowners have reported gasoline being siphoned out of their vehicle tanks at home.
With gas prices continuing to climb, gas siphoning is becoming a problem—only not at local convenience stores.
In recent months, the Hillsboro Police Department has received complaints of gas being stolen from cars parked in private driveways around town.
“As the cost of fuel goes up, (siphoning) always tends to be more of a trend,” said Dan Kinning, Hillsboro Police chief.
The trend is not yet widespread, and most of the reports are of small amounts of gas being stolen.
The Marion Police Department has not yet had any official complaints.
“We don’t have any formal complaints about gas being stolen from driveways,” said Josh Whitwell, Marion Police chief. “But I have heard on the street that there have been a few thefts from driveways.”
The biggest targets for gas-theft are older cars, Kinning said.
“Most of the vehicles these days have tamper-resistant devices in them that make it hard for anyone to siphon gas out of,” he said.
The purchase of a locking gas cap from auto-part stores is a good step to take in preventing gas-siphoning from cars, said Kinning and Whitwell.
It is also important to watch for suspicious activity.
“Keep an eye on each other’s houses and report suspicious activity,” Kinning said.
Whitwell added that garaging vehicles, adding lights to driveways and paying attention to fuel levels can also protect consumers from gas theft.
“Keep tabs on the gas,” he said. “Pay attention to how much gas you’ve got—it’s like having gold in your gas tank, you don’t want to lose it.”
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