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SALT LAKE CITY — Over the last five weeks, 38 vehicles in Salt Lake City were stolen while the keys were inside or they were warming, police said.
Thirty of those cars had the keys or key fobs inside the vehicle, and the other eight were warming up, said Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking. Unfortunately, that’s not an unusual number for this time of year, he added.
As the temperature drops, people start leaving their cars to warm and robberies rise, Wilking explained. But this continues throughout the winter, too.
“People are trying to keep their vehicle warm and they leave it running when they run into the 7-Eleven,” he said. “Part of the problem is we have so many people that have secondary keys or car fobs that allow for thieves to make off with the car.”
Wilking said he’s even been guilty of it himself. If his vehicle doesn’t require him to insert the keys to turn it on, he said he sometimes becomes distracted and “I couldn't tell if the engine is on … and you accidentally leave your car running with the keys on the center console.”
Wilking urges people to stay with their cars while they’re warming up. For those who need to defrost their windows, he suggests turning on the car, scraping the windows while it warms, then getting in the car to go.
“(Also), be aware of valet keys and fobs. Don’t make it easy for the bad guy,” he said. “Those (keys) should go with you wherever you’re going.”
Editor's note: A previous version of this story spelled Wilking's name as Wilkins. The story has been updated to correct the spelling.
