Trailer Thefts Up in McNairy County
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SELMER, Tenn. – Thefts of cargo trailers are, worth thousands of dollars, are up in the area, according to McNairy County authorities. In the last two weeks, one has been stolen, and thieves attempted to steal three. Decaturville resident Frank Rogel keeps trailers at properties in McNairy and Decatur counties. Despite his best efforts to keep his property secure, he has fallen victim to thieves. “I have four trailers and each one of them at one time or another has been stolen or somebody tried to steal it,” said Rogel. McNairy County authoriites said trailers are an easy target because once they are stolen, identifying them can be impossible. “Most of the trailers that are purchased do not have serial numbers of VIN numbers,” said Sheriff Guy Buck of the McNairy County Sheriff’s Department. “And once it’s stolen, being able to prove ownership becomes difficult.” If you own a trailer, authorities said the best thing you can do is give it a unique marker. That way you can identify it if your property is stolen “On a trailer, you can either have it etched into the bottom side of the trailer in an area where somebody who’s going to steal it wouldn’t readily see it,” said Sheriff Buck. Authorities said if you are going to leave your trailer outdoors to secure it the best you can with locks and chains. “The first thing you cant to do is put a tongue lock on it, so that they can’t attach it easily to the truck without having to cut that lock,” said Sheriff Buck. “I’ve got front hitches on (some of) my trailers,” said Rogel. “I have a thing I make that goes in the front side and through the wheel and hooks on the spring. And my other trailer has a chain.” Securing trailers as much as possible and creating personal identifiers will help authorities help you. “Make it as hard as you can to get it,” said Sheriff Buck. “And then if they get it, make it as easy as you can to identify it. If you’ll do both of those things, it makes our job a lot easier.”
