It was a very cold morning.

Regan Smyrl and his wife were loading their son in their SUV.

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“My wife had just put him in the back seat,” Smyrl says. “I slammed my door and noticed that the wind was still blowing on me. That is when I noticed that my passenger side window was shattered. There was glass all over the side seat and in the back as well.

“I honked the horn to call my wife back, and I was thinking how I was going to get my son to school.”

After swapping cars with his wife and dropping off his son, Smyrl did a quick inventory of what was missing.

The thief had stolen his DVD player and GPS system, among other items. Altogether it totaled a little more than $1,000 in losses and damages.

“Once I figured out what was stolen, I called the police,” Smyrl says. “Then I typed up a letter about what happened. I told [my neighbors] to be vigilant and put their cars in their garages. I made copies and distributed them to every mailbox on my block.”

Smyrl says with kids, it’s very easy to fill the space in the garage, leaving only enough room for one car.

“I moved all of the toys and furniture up into the attic so I can have a two-car garage again,” Smyrl says.

He says he is still in shock because his family has never been the victims of a crime during the eight years they have lived in their house.

Dallas Police Lt. Gloria Perez says it was an unfortunate crime, and applauds the Smyrls subsequent correspondence with their neighbors.

“They should keep in constant communication with their neighbors, regardless whether the car is in the garage or not,” Perez says. “Also, make sure the garage door is always closed. If they are working in the yard, they should close the garage door if they are not within sight of the open garage door.” –Gabby Martinez