Thief Steals Car Keys From Unlocked Showroom Desk

A dealership is still reviewing the tapes after a man wandered around their store and stole a large ring of keys. At Schlossmann’s Dodge City in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a man stole a set of keys from a dealership desk and it was all caught on camera. The dealership apparently had camera views on the man from the time he parked and got out of his car and during his entire visit to the store. In the main video involving the unidentified man, he is seen wandering around the dealership, pausing to look at a motorcycle and eventually, swiping keys from a desk drawer before exiting the dealership.

The would-be thief had access to the desk because customers are able to wander around the dealership before it opens at 8:30 a.m. The service drive at this dealership opens at 7 a.m., thus customers waiting often take a look around the store. The obvious premise is the thief took the keys in order to come back later and steal the vehicles, however, Tom Wendland, sales manager at Schlossmann’s Dodge City isn’t worried about the theft. Wendland told WITI, “He was nosing around, looking through drawers and eventually found out where there was some keys for cars… the keys that they took — they’re of no use. We’ll just put it that way.”

While the keys the suspect took reportedly aren’t of any use, Wendland also mentioned to WITI that his store also isn’t going to leave sets of keys out in drawers where the visiting public has access to them. The store is working with authorities to track down the suspect, who left a lot of fingerprints on the motorcycle next to the desk where he stole the keys.

The customer at this store took the keys because he was able to wander around the dealership before the sales department opened. What is the policy at your store when it comes to hours of operation and allowing consumers to take a look around? What is your policy when it comes to vehicle keys? Are they locked up, or could they be in a potentially unsecure location?