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SALT LAKE CITY — A laptop nestled on the couch, a wallet stuffed under a car seat, grandma's wedding ring glistening on a dresser, all are precious items — especially for a burglar.
After recent summer burglaries all over the Wasatch Front, police officers say there are simple steps homeowners can take to deter break-ins.
"First and foremost, lock your door," said Unified Deputy Police Chief Justin Hoyal.
That obvious but simple step can make a big difference. A U.S. Justice Department study called "Burglary of Single-Family Homes" shows that about one-third of home break-ins were not caused by forced entry, but from intruders simply opening an unlocked door or window.
Bluffdale Police Sgt. Shane Taylor said in some ways, the community is comfortable with not locking doors or windows.
"But things change," Taylor said. "Bluffdale is no longer the farming community where everyone knows everyone."
The FBI's latest statistics from 2013 show that number of burglaries in Bluffdale alone increased by 10 percent in one year.
In Provo, the number of burglaries rose 9 percent in 2013 from 2012.
"We're a unique, safe community for the most part," said Provo Police Lt. Brandon Post. "But people need to be aware that we do have crime and people do take advantage of those that don't secure their items."
The same story is playing out in South Jordan, where burglaries increased 9 percent, from 173 in 2012 to 185 in 2013.
"People have been coming to South Jordan because it's known as a very safe community," said South Jordan police officer Sam Winkler. "So they tend to let their guard down a little bit. They'll leave property inside their vehicles: laptops, wallets, garage door openers."
We always encourage people to think like a burglar. Go out there and look at your house in the daytime. Where are the spots a criminal can exploit? Really take a good look at that house.
–South Jordan police officer Sam Winkler
When residents let their guard down and leave cars unlocked with garage door openers inside, burglars have easy access to the items inside the garage and often the house, he said.
Garages and homes with lots of shrubbery and trees also provide ideal places for burglars to hide, Taylor said, confirming a point the DOJ study makes that burglars are more likely to break into homes with the most cover.
"We always encourage people to think like a burglar," Winkler said. "Go out there and look at your house in the daytime. Where are the spots a criminal can exploit? Really take a good look at that house."
Setting an outdoor light to turn on at night also helps cut back on places where burglars can hide, Taylor said.
And a little extra security never hurts either. The study says homes with security systems and surveillance cameras are less likely to experience break-ins.
And so is a home with a barking dog — even a small one.
"There have been times where we have received noise complaints about a dog barking, and it turned out the dog was barking because there was criminal activity," Taylor said.
Police agree that awareness of what's going on in a neighborhood and reporting suspicious behavior is vital to preventing burglaries. This can also help prevent future burglaries because a homeowner's chance of being burglarized increases if other homes in the neighborhood are burglarized, according to the study.
"Getting people to be comfortable calling in on dogs barking at nighttime or a suspicious noise they hear that they can't explain, just having them call in on those little things (helps), because a lot of times those little things add up to big arrests," Winkler said.
Katie Larsen is a Deseret News intern and print journalism senior at Utah State University who graduates in December. Email: klarsen@deseretnews.com
