HOUSTON — After one man had two of his truck tailgates stolen just months apart, we're working to find out how truck owners can protect their property.
KHOU 11's Ugochi Iloka spoke with Sgt. Tracy Hicks with the Houston Police Department's Auto Theft Crime Task Force about the issue and another new trend investigators are watching closely -- tail light thefts.
Hicks said tailgates have been a hot item for thieves for as long as he can remember, but tail light thefts have been increasing in recent years because thieves can grab more of them and make more money.
Hicks said it can be hard to tell whether products on places like Facebook Marketplace are legitimate or stolen. He said some of the deals seem too good to be true, with tailgates going for as low as $200 to $600 when newer model tailgates can retail for $10,000.
However, if you have your driver's license number or VIN number marked on your tailgate or tail light, it may make it easier for officers to spot and recover.
Hicks said locking up your truck's tailgate and parking the truck backed up against a garage or another car could make it more difficult for thieves to target either of the parts. He also recommends using a hinge lock and a type of bolt and screw product for tail lights.
"There are crooks obviously that are stealing tailgates and there are ones that are stealing tail lights," Hicks said. "The tail lights have technology inside of them. They are not a few hundred dollars like they used to be. They are thousands of dollars. Crooks -- their job is stealing stuff. Our jobs as citizens is to make their jobs really hard."
The sergeant said while there isn't a specific task force on truck tailgate and tail light thefts, HPD still encourages people to report them to the department's auto theft crimes unit.