Warm weather has car thieves on the prowl

SALT LAKE CITY — After a long, frigid winter, it's hard for anyone to resist this warm weather — including car thieves.

Police said car thefts tend to go up with the temperatures.

"As the weather gets warmer, I think we have more people out," said Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Stefhan Bennett. "It creates more opportunity for people to get their cars stolen or broken into."

It's a problem that seems to be on the rise in Utah. Thieves left shards of glass behind when they broke into Stefanie Decaria's car five years ago.

"I had an empty laptop box on my passenger seat," said Decaria, Salt Lake City resident. "They opened up the laptop box and saw that it was empty and nothing else was stolen."

In August of 2012, KSL reported a rash of car break-ins on the east side of Salt Lake. Vandals broke windows and stole valuable items left in cars.

In 2011, the Salt Lake metro area ranked 22 in the nation for auto thefts, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. But Bennett said the crime is widespread.

"When we run the numbers throughout the city, the county and state," said Bennett, "it doesn't affect any one area. It can happen in a small community. It can happen in the large city."

Preventing car burglaries and thefts

The DOs and DON'Ts:

• DO lock your doors and roll up your windows when you park
• DO activate your security system.
• DO consider window tinting as allowed by law.
• DO use a steering lock or another device to visibly disable the steering column.
• DO park in a well-lighted space.
• DON'T use the console or glove box as a mobile lockbox — car prowlers report they will pry into locked boxes.
• DON'T leave a running car unattended. This creates opportunity for criminals.
• DON'T leave your key in the ignition just because you have remote access.
• DON'T leave cell phones, cell phone chargers, purses and other indicators of valuables in plain sight. It provides incentive to criminals.
• DON'T leave your car title in the car.
(Source: Salt Lake City Police Department)

2012-2013 statistics from Salt Lake City Police show:

• 2,708 stolen vehicles reported
• 2,071 stolen vehicles recovered
• 113 arrests for auto theft
• 76 percent stolen vehicle recovery rate

That supports statewide statistics on auto thefts reported in 2011 from the NICB, which revealed:

• 4,495 thefts in the Salt Lake metro area
• 589 in the Ogden-Clearfield areas
• 410 in Provo-Orem areas
• 149 in the St. George metro area
• 54 in the Logan area

Police statistics in some Utah areas show a greater incidence of vehicle burglaries than auto thefts.

In 2012, Tooele City Police reported 56 stolen vehicles and 270 vehicle burglaries. So far in 2013, Tooele police reported 7 thefts and 23 burglaries.

Sandy police reported similar findings over the past few years. Last year, 130 vehicles were stolen, while 650 were just burglarized. This year, that number is 29 to 130.

It's the simple things that most effectively prevent thefts, Bennett said. But Utahns are vulnerable to auto theft and burglary for several reasons.

Thieves will be looking for unlocked cars they don't have to force their way into.

"We're (thieves) looking for keys left in cars, which happen more often than you think," Bennett said.

He said thieves will typically break windows to access vehicles, but they're looking for easy targets as well. He said victims are guilty of leaving valuable items in cars, which also gives thieves more incentive.

"I've seen iPads taken out of cars," explained Bennett. "People just leave them on the backseat."

Bennett also said people tend to fall into a false sense of security by thinking thieves only target certain makes and models. While statistics show certain cars are at greater risk for theft and break-ins, "all cars are potential targets," said Bennett.

According to investigators, thieves are also looking for opportunities to burglarize and steal cars in large parking lots, shopping malls, sporting events and other community gatherings.

"Any time there are large events, large groups of cars, that's where you're going to see your increased auto burglaries occurring," he said.

As for Decaria, she's extra vigilant to make her car less attractive to thieves.

"Now I just try to make sure I don't have anything valuable showing," she said. "If I do have something valuable, I put it under the seat or cover it up with something so that it's not visible."

Bennett recommended drivers use car security devices such as alarms or steering wheel locks.

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