TAILGATE GONE.

Aaron Pickell did not expect what he saw that morning as he headed out the door of his Lakewood-area home for

The Victim: Aaron Pickell

The Crime: Auto accessory theft

Date: Friday, Nov. 22

Time: Between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Location: 7200 block of Meadow Lake work: The tailgate to his 2013 Ford truck was gone. The truck was a nice vehicle to haul things around for his children and got plenty of use.

“It kind of makes you want to police the neighborhood more,” Pickell says. “This is my first time to be victimized.”

Replacing the tailgate is a bit more expensive than it would be for an older truck. The tailgate was pretty high-tech, with a backup camera and a step built in, adding to the replacement cost. In all, he expects the replacement to cost more than $2,000. The crime has been a real frustration to say the least.

“Tailgates are a hot commodity right now,” says Sr. Corporal Monica Almeida of the Northeast Patrol Division. “De- pending on the tailgate, thieves can get as much as $4,000 for one. This is because nowadays you have cameras installed on tailgates as a safety feature for backing up.”

Using tailgate locks can prevent them from being stolen, she says; she adds that a cheap way to deter thieves is to use a zip tie or a hose clamp to help secure tailgates. The added hassle might make a thief move to another vehicle instead.

“I know it’s not the best fix, but at least it slows a thief down from running off with your tailgate. A tailgate lock is the best bet and protects the taillights from being stolen, too.”