Hi Jim,
Sorry to hear about your experience.
Please report it to the police, it is not useless. Perhaps it is not likely that the offender will be caught for this crime. However, the police identify where to patrol and what areas of the city get more crime fighting attention by the crimes reported. They also analyze reported crimes to identify patterns and to anticipate where related crimes will happen - a large fraction of crimes are committed by a small group of people, and these people operate consistently. Even if your particular thief doesn't get traced and charged for going through your car, reporting it does help our neighborhood specifically and the APD in general.
Greg