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SALT LAKE CITY — A seasonal crime of opportunity surged this week when the big storm blew in, bringing cold temperatures with it. When the mercury drops, car thefts typically rise, according to police.
Nearly 20 people had their cars swiped this week in the Salt Lake Valley because they left their cars idling to warm up, or to stay warm.
Police said that's just too easy a target for criminals trolling specifically for warming cars.
"I can't tell you how many times we've heard, 'I was just inside for one minute … and my car is gone,'" said Lt. Lex Bell of the Unified Police Department. "When it starts getting cold, and we start getting snow on the ground, our auto theft goes through the roof."
I've interviewed countless auto thieves in my career and had many of them tell me that they basically go car shopping on cold mornings.
–Lt. Lex Bell, UPD
Police remind people that it's never safe to leave unattended cars idling in the driveway or in parking lots.
In Salt Lake County alone, the Unified Police Department is looking for 13 cars stolen since Monday while idling.
In Salt Lake City Wednesday, thieves stole two idling cars and two others that had the keys left inside.
Police posted that information on Twitter, including the hashtag #DontGiveYourCarAway.
#DontGiveYourCarAway four stolen yesterday with their keys in it. Are you next?
— SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) December 17, 2015In the last four weeks, the department has seen a 31 percent increase in all stolen-vehicle reports.
"I've interviewed countless auto thieves in my career, and had many of them tell me that they basically go car shopping on cold mornings," Bell said.
Each year, Salt Lake City takes over 300 stolen-vehicle reports for which either the vehicle was left running or the keys were inside.
To encourage cleaner air, it's also illegal to idle more than two minutes, even if you're occupying the vehicle.
