OREM, Utah, April 14, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Orem police officials are warning of an increase in vehicle burglaries now that spring is here.
In a video posted to Facebook, Orem Police Department spokesman Lt. Craig Martinez said: “Weather’s getting warmer outside, inevitably what happens when the temperatures rise, so do auto burglaries. So we’re here to give you a couple of tips, to hopefully keep you safe from becoming a victim.”
First off, lock your car, he said.
“That’s the basic one,” he said. “We all lock our doors at night when we go to bed, but some of us just leave our car doors open. Locking; it’s easy, a quick couple of seconds and you’re in.”
Second, he warns of the use of slim jims; or lock picks, by thieves.
“Criminals have them, police officers have them, and they make it really easy to get into a car, so still try to lock your doors, but chances are, if they want to get in, they’re going to try and get in with a slim jim.”
He said if you have a vehicle with a sunroof, always make sure that is closed.
“That’s an easy way for criminals to get access to your car; the sunroof,” Martinez said. “You might as well leave your car unlocked if you’re leaving your sunroof open.”
Lastly, he said, don’t leave anything valuable in your vehicle.
“If you do that, they’re going to break your window, get into your car anyway” Martinez said. “So even though you only lost a few pill bottles, the car window’s going to be a couple of hundred dollars to replace; nobody wants that. So this is just a public service announcement; lock your car, keep your valuables out of it, close your sunroof; a few tips to prevent you from becoming the victim.”
