Are you ready if you're a crime victim?

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - No one ever plans to be a victim of a crime. You take precautions without thinking about them. You look over your shoulder. You try not to do anything stupid.

At least, that was my frame of mind while on vacation this summer. I parked my car in a well-lit, very visible parking lot at a Cleveland area hotel. I put my valuables in the trunk and locked my car.

But still, thieves broke into the car and stole my daughter's custom-made violin, luggage, and my laptop. I called police. The stolen violin was interesting enough that it caught the attention of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Their story helped recover the violin and a few other belongings. I was lucky but it's an experience I never want to repeat. It caused a lot of grief and cost me time and money. I learned things I wish I had known.

For one, forget the notion that your car is safe no matter where you park. Thieves strike anywhere. Car theft is a hard crime to solve, and thieves know it. We followed police early one morning.

Within one hour a call came in reporting a car break-in at a retirement and assisted living facility, a facility with its own security. An employee working the night shift was a car theft victim.

"I noticed there was a book on the seat, didn't think anything about it, opened it up and realized that everything from my glovebox was flipped upside down on the floor," said Jamie Bassler.

She wasn't the only one. Police say when there is one car, there are usually others.

A second victim learned the other misconception about car break-ins - that thieves won't bother if you have nothing of value in your car. Walter Ruhlardt said all he had was pocket change. Yet now he's stuck with the bill to repair his glove compartment and lock.

Another mistake drivers make is forgetting or not checking to see if their car doors are locked.

Police say thieves are bound to find a least a few in any parking lot. At the retirement facility, you could see fresh fingerprints on a number of door handles.

If you lock your car, you're still not off the hook. If you have something attractive inside, thieves will do even more. They'll bash in your window.

It's more headaches for you because chances are your auto insurance deductible won't cover the broken window. There was a broken car window at the retirement facility and there was nothing of value inside. Police believe the thief mistook a car cushion for a laptop case.

That leads to another faulty assumption. Don't think witnesses will call police if they hear or see a thief smashing a window. This theft happened right underneath a number of condos.

"People are real reluctant to report crime," says Grand Rapids police detective Brad Ditmar. "I think that's a big part of it."

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Counting on others to report suspicious activity was my mistake when a thief broke into my car at a Cleveland-area hotel. I thought staff would be watching, or at least security cameras.

I wish I had known differently.

Car break-ins are on the rise in most cities. In Grand Rapids, they're up 19% this year and 21% in Kent County.

Muskegon County prosecutor Tony Tague blames weak laws. In Michigan, car break-ins are typically misdemeanors. For thieves to do any real time, they'd have to steal over $20,000 worth of property.

"Clearly our legislature and governor have decided that only crimes that involve a great deal of personal injury are going to result in prison time," Tague said.

Police did make an arrest in my case, and the main suspect proves Tague's point.

At age 25, Jeremy Gum has a record of thefts, enough to have even landed him in jail for 14 months. Still, he keeps trying. In addition to my case, Gum is also charged with trying to chain an ATM and yanking it out with a truck. Naomi Collins was also arrested in the case.

On November 11, Gum was sentenced to nine years in prison for the theft of the violin and another crime. While he was on bond for the violin theft, he tried to steal an ATM. Then, he led police on a high speed chase which caused a police cruiser to crash.

Gum pleaded guilty to charges in both crimes.