Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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New Specialist Samantha Hayes reporting
You think it will only take a minute to warm up your car, or run into the gas station, or mail that letter at the post office.
But that's all the time car thieves need to turn your cold car into a hot one.
The winter months provide lots of extra opportunities for car thieves.
Police say they see a considerable increase in auto thefts during Janurary, February and March.
In Sandy alone, there are more than 25 a month.
You'll notice Jerry Cowley doesn't leave his truck running anymore.
"Take the keys and lock it and turn on the alarm," Cowley says. These are things he didn't do a few weeks ago at a Sandy Christmas tree lot.
"It was a rental without insurance which is what was even worse, also it had my checkbooks in it because I was doing paperwork that night," he says.
In that moment of shock, he thought the vehicle was on its way to a chop shop like this, where sometimes cars are recovered before being stripped down and sold for parts.
It was dumb luck though, that Jerry's rental truck was found.
"On Thursday I received a call from my daughter just as school was getting out and she saw the truck pulling out of the parking lot down at Jordan," Cowley says.
Case closed, and another car thief is arrested.
However, at this time of year, blame it on the weather. We just don't want to get into a cold car, or turn the heat off while running errands. And they know that.
This notice at the grocery store really tells the story whether your car is outside in the parking lot, the gas station, post office, even your own driveway, it only takes a couple of minutes for it to disappear.
"Three minutes maybe. It was that quick, they got it and were gone and he just idled out of the parking lot, he didn't take off fast. That's why they thought it was me leaving," Cowley says.
Some reminders: always turn off the car, lock it, and take the keys.
And if you get a chance, make a note somewhere of your licence plate and vehicle identification number.
