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Recently, there has been a rash of auto break-ins, both on and off base. In one night in January, 48 cars were broken into on Vogelweh housing. These thefts have ranged from stolen compact discs and musical instruments to uniforms, wallets and cellular phones. A common misconception is that these break-ins are reimbursable through the Air Force claims program; however, this is not necessarily true.
One of the purposes of the claims program is to provide prompt and fair payment for certain types of property loss or damage incident to military or Department of Defense service. “Incident to military or DOD service” encompasses a broad range of military living such as frequent movements, assignment to quarters and duty in foreign countries. However, certain claims that are losses resulting from the negligent or wrongful acts will not be paid.
Although an experienced car thief can often enter a locked vehicle, car owners are still expected to lock all doors and windows. Further, even though the car may be locked, the passenger compartment of a vehicle is not a proper place to store valuable property.
Let’s take a moment to look at a real life example. An Airman parked his locked car in a base parking lot during duty hours with clothing on a rack in the vehicle before going on vacation.
The vehicle was broken into and the clothing stolen. He filed a claim and it was disapproved because leaving property in plain view is an “invitation to theft,” even though the car was locked. An “invitation to theft” is considered to be any property that is so valuable or expensive that it would induce a thief to break into a car. The moral of this story is to not leave valuable items inside a vehicle. This includes the passenger compartment, glove compartment and trunk.
For more information about auto claims, schedule an appointment with the Ramstein claims office at 480-7011 or stop by Bldg. 2137 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.
