Laredo proclaims July 'Watch Your Car Month,' cites drops in vehicle crime

Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Perez and Laredo Police Department officials on Wednesday proclaimed July 2025 as "Watch Your Car Month" and urged residents to lock vehicles and keep belongings out of sight to reduce vehicle burglary and theft.

“we have to keep our vehicles locked and we have to keep our belongings out of sight,” Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Perez said during the ceremony, urging residents to be responsible for their property.

The proclamation, read and signed by Perez in her capacity as mayor pro tem and District 7 council member, was presented alongside Laredo Police Department leaders who highlighted recent declines in several categories of crime. Chief of Police Miguel Rodriguez, who was identified at the event as having been appointed by Governor Greg Abbott as chair of the Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, said vehicle burglaries were down about 36% year to date — from roughly 550 last year to about 350 this year — and that reported auto thefts fell from about 215 last year to about 147 this year, a roughly 32% decrease. Rodriguez also said robberies were down about 47% year to date.

“We need to continue pushing the note that we need to lock our cars,” Chief Rodriguez said. “If people lock their cars, if the community locks their car, imagine how much more decrease of numbers we can have.”

Council Member Melissa Sigueroa, District 3, called the proclamation an extension of the Laredo Police Department and Auto Theft Task Force’s community policing efforts and urged residents to report suspicious activity. “If you see something, please say something,” Sigueroa said, adding that community participation helps the department concentrate on areas with higher criminal activity.

Speakers at the event recognized the Laredo Police Auto Theft Task Force and cited a combination of grant funding and local support. The proclamation text notes that the task force is funded by a grant from the Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority and local support, and that several agencies — including the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and the National Insurance Crime Bureau — participate in the joint effort in Webb County.

Investigator Joe Baez opened the ceremony and recognized city officials and task-force sergeants. Assistant Chief Rene Alvarado and Deputy Chief Jorge Valdez and sergeants Homer Solis and Michael Woum were among department staff acknowledged at the event.

The proclamation urges all Laredo residents to support law enforcement efforts and take precautions to reduce motor vehicle burglaries and thefts. Chief Rodriguez said he would share the detailed numbers with the media after the ceremony.

The event was ceremonial: officials read and signed the proclamation declaring July 2025 as Watch Your Car Month in Laredo and encouraged public participation and awareness to sustain the reductions in vehicle-related crimes.