Tips for preventing car burglaries

In this third in a series of public safety issue articles, we look at vehicle burglaries.

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Lieutenant Warren Foster of the Springville Police Department said this is the time of year when the number of vehicle break-ins skyrockets.

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He and hisrcoworkers get many emails sent out to the department every summer remindingrthem the proper procedures for locking up cars.

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There has been a rash of burglaries during the daytime, especially. And during the nighttime, thieves are less afraid to bust windshields.

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Foster says some of the most popular items stolen from cars in this area are: guns, laptops, cellular devices and high-dollar tools.

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Because peoplersometimes have to use their vehicles as their offices (such as constructionrworkers), Foster understands it’s not always possible to remove valuables fromryour vehicle every time you exit. But, he says, “Do your best to conceal what yourhave to store.”

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As Foster reminds us, there are three parts to every crime: the perpetrator, the victim and the opportunity. The only thing we can control is the opportunity, so getting rid of that will help a lot.

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First and foremost,rlock your doors. This seems so obvious, but many thefts take place in unlockedrcars.

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Get a car alarm ifryour car didn’t come with one, and be sure to enable it. Even just the sound ofrthe alarm going off could be enough to deter people from breaking in.

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Keep your vehicle’srinterior tidy and don’t leave things, even trash, lying around. What may simplyrbe an empty grocery bag on the floor of your car may be enough to tempt thievesrto break in in the hopes of there being something valuable inside that bag.

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And speaking of shoppingrbags, be sure to securely hide them and their contents before you park at yourrnext destination. There’s nothing that baits a would-be thief more than you shufflingrthrough your purchases in plain sight before leaving your car.

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Park in a visible, open,rand well-lit area. Avoid parking right next to shrubbery, large vehicles, orranything else that hides away your automobile. Those looking to break in a carrare less likely to choose those that are out in the open.

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There are hundredsrof auto burglaries in the city of Springville a year and a lot of these casesrgo unreported.

Foster says, “We do encourage people to reportreverything. Sometimes people think, ‘Oh, it was only a little bit of money orran old ipod.’ But the police department can’t solve the problem if we don’trknow about it and sometimes this information is needed for nothing else but torbuild a future case.”