Police Report Alarming Increase In Car Burglaries
Apr 28, 2021, 9:33 PM | Updated: 9:39 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Numbers reported by police show an increase in theft in Salt Lake City have risen 12 percent from last year. Officials said there are ways to keep from becoming a target.
Officials said car break-ins and thefts have been becoming more and more prominent – and they’re not easy to close.
“They are hard crimes to solve,” said Det. Michael Ruff with the Salt Lake City Police Department. “It is really hard to solve a theft of something. How can we prove that you had money stolen from your car?”
Ruff said during the first three months of 2021, the city had a 41 percent increase in vehicle burglaries compared to 2020. Vehicle thefts increased 54 percent.
The areas hit then were homes along Sunny Side Avenue, and the Rose Park neighborhood. In 2021, the hardest hit area for these crimes has shifted to Glendale
“Glendale had the big spike earlier this spring,” said Ruff. “I think at one point through the end of February or March, there were 200 cars stolen, and all had been left running or keys left in them.”
Ruff said in many of the car thefts, criminals steal the cars to commit other crimes.
“There are little things you can do to make it less likely that you will be victimized,” he said.
Ruff said if they see someone they don’t know trying to enter their apartment or condo building, residents should not be concerned about being polite. If you don’t know someone, don’t let them into your building.
He also advised hiding valuables and lock the doors to avoid becoming an easy target.
If you catch someone in the act, call 911 emergency dispatchers immediately, and take video of the crime. Ruff said don’t try confronting the criminals, because it’s dangerous.