- Police in Salt Lake City offer tips to prevent car thefts and break-ins.
- Recommendations include keeping valuables out of sight and parking in well-lit areas.
- Residents can request police patrols for added security in their neighborhoods.
SALT LAKE CITY — With our weather warming up, more people are out and about, which means criminals too. Police are concerned about any number of crimes, including car break-ins. They have some smart recommendations to avoid becoming a victim.
Car break-ins aren't limited to when the weather is better; police see them over and over across the state. They want to help you lower the odds of your car being targeted.
Car thefts and car break-ins can seemingly happen at random. In August, 14 cars were broken into in Fruit Heights, cars in [Herriman got hit in December](Herriman residents on edge after multiple cars burglarized at apartment complex) and last month KSL obtained video of a thief driving off with someone else's truck in West Jordan.
Unified Police said it's typically a crime of opportunity. It said a crook walks by, sees something in your car they want, or thinks they have a chance to take the car itself, and goes for it. It can happen in a matter of seconds.
So how do you avoid becoming a victim? Police recommend you treat your car like it could always be broken into before it happens — only keep things in your car that you're OK with someone stealing.
"Keep it to a bare minimum ... Don't keep your keys in your car. Don't keep your purses or wallets in your car, or anything of value, or memorabilia you find important," said Sgt. Aymee Race with the Unified Police Department.
If you can't avoid keeping something in your car, keep it out of sight. That's a good rule of thumb for where you park, too. If possible, park your car in a secure spot, like inside a garage. However, if you can't, try to stay in a well-lit area, which would make a criminal think twice.
If it's something you worry about, police said you can always call and ask them to do a patrol in your neighborhood. Unified Police said it gets requests all the time to go out and make the rounds, and officers are happy to do it for you. Just call police dispatch, and it can send an officer out.
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Brian Carlson
