Stuff stolen from your car

I guess I've been pretty lucky. My wife had her window broken and her stereo stolen out of her Neon about ten years ago while she did clinical time for her nursing degree in Rockford. The hospital was downtown in a seedy area. About a month later a detective called and said they had our stereo. When I went there it wasn't ours so I thanked him for his trouble. They caught a guy who had been ripping off the parking lot and he admitted to having the extra stuff at home. I guess it was either a different guy or our stereo was already fenced.
About two years ago some punks went through the neighborhood looking for unlocked cars. They got about $4 from my unlocked van. We found a portable DVD player up against the neighbors mailbox. I think my wife came home at midnight and scared the kids off without knowing it. I have a feeling they were in my van when she pulled in the driveway.