What If the Thieves Had Gone After the Keys?

What If the Thieves Had Gone After the Keys?

This week, deputies stopped a pair of suspects in the middle of breaking into vehicles at a local dealership. The thieves forced their way into the lot, damaged multiple vehicles, and stole items inside. One of the suspects was caught and arrested, while another escaped.
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The incident caused thousands of dollars in damage and left dealership staff scrambling to pick up the pieces. But here’s the bigger question: what if these thieves had decided to go after the keys instead of just breaking into cars?
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The Real Risk Lurking in Every Break-In

‍When criminals gain access to dealership lots, it’s not just the vehicles at risk; it’s the keys. If thieves had reached the keys during this incident, the outcome could have been far worse:

• Stolen inventory at scale – With keys in hand, thieves could have driven off with multiple vehicles instead of just stealing smaller items.
  
  
• Faster, quieter theft – Driving a car off the lot with its own key is far less suspicious than hotwiring or breaking in.
  
  
• Extended losses – Stolen keys could be used later to return for more vehicles, keeping the dealership vulnerable long after the initial break-in.
  
  
• Customer trust damage – Beyond the financial hit, a dealership that loses vehicles (or customer cars in service) faces long-lasting reputation damage.
  
  

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Traditional security measures such as fences, gates, and cameras are no longer enough on their own. Thieves know where to look, and they know keys are the golden ticket. Without proper key control in place, a single break-in could result in multiple vehicles gone overnight.
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This recent incident should serve as a warning. If criminals can force their way past your perimeter, the next thing they’ll go for isn’t glovebox items, it’s the keys.

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How Dealerships Can Stay Protected

That’s why more dealerships are turning to iSafe systems for complete key security. With iSafe Pro, iSafe Lite, and iSafe SOLO, every key is stored in a locked, access-controlled system that only authorized staff can use.
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Paired with iLot Core, Tracking, and Auditing, dealerships gain real-time visibility of who has each key, when it was taken, and where it’s supposed to be. Even if thieves manage to break into the lot, the keys remain out of reach, secured inside an iSafe system, not left vulnerable in an office drawer or wall cabinet.
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Every dealership works hard to protect its perimeter, but the real protection happens inside. Don’t let thieves turn a break-in into a full-scale vehicle theft operation. With iSafe key control and iLot tracking, dealerships can prevent their worst-case scenario from ever becoming a headline.

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