SALT LAKE CITY — 2020 was a tough year in every way, and Salt Lake City hit five-year highs in almost every crime category last fall.

Crimes like burglary, larceny and theft; vandalism and motor vehicle theft all hit their peak several months ago.

And while statistically, things are better in Salt Lake City this year, that’s not necessarily the case up and down the Wasatch Front.

July Is National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month. YTD 400+ cars have been stolen in #SLC mostly because owners leave keys in the car or leave the car running & unattended. 27 of these are just for the month of July. In 2020 there were 3,500 stolen vehicle cases in SLC. pic.twitter.com/xmSTcBwF6j

— SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) July 13, 2021

SafeHome.org recently surveyed more than 400 people and found out the top five home modifications people make when they’ve been victimized.

Adding outside lights to their homes, First, nearly 47% installed lighting by adding outside lights to their home.

Nearly half added an alarm system and 43% changed or added locks, while a third of victims hung a “Beware of Dog” sign.

Finally, 25% added curtains for privacy.

You don’t have to wait — you can make some of those changes now to protect your home and property.

The good news? Nearly every crime category in Salt Lake City is down a collective 20% since the start of the year. Homicides are up, so we’ll track the trends to see if these figures hold through the summer toward the end of 2021.

The state’s most current crime report from the Utah Department of Public Safety is from 2019.