ST. GEORGE — More than 810,000 vehicles were reported stolen last year in the United States, an upsurge that also has been seen in Southern Utah, prompting authorities to urge residents to protect their property from thieves.

A car is stolen every 48 seconds in the United States. And in 2019 alone, more than $6 billion was lost to car thefts. But it was the recent spike in local car thefts that prompted Officer Tiffany Mitchell with the St. George Police Department to post a statement on social media.

According to the post, amid the recent rise of stolen vehicles, 14 were stolen within a 28-day period last month, which equates to roughly one vehicle stolen every other day.

Mitchell told St. George News that while writing the post to place on social media, the Police Department received another report of a car stolen in St. George. A majority of the cases, including this one, involved vehicles that were left unlocked with the keys inside, she said, adding that this also was the common denominator in each of the cases officers handled in July.

“This type of criminal activity is completely preventable,” Mitchell said. “Taking two simple steps can help to avoid losing your ride: lock your car and bring the keys with you.”

Vehicle theft is often a crime of opportunity, she added, and residents play an important role in preventing this type of crime by keeping a watchful eye out for any suspicious activity in the neighborhood and calling police to report suspicious activity.

While officers in Hurricane have not seen a spike in the number of vehicle thefts, Hurricane Police Officer Dan Raddatz said there have been two stolen vehicles reported this year, and in both cases, the vehicle was unlocked with the keys left inside. He also said that officers have seen a number of trailers stolen, which can result in significant losses depending on what the trailer contains. And many times, he said the trailers are unsecured and unlocked when they are taken.

Santa Clara-Ivins Police Sgt. Reed Briggs told St. George News the number of thefts reported in general has gone up throughout the region. He said one component that may contribute to the upsurge in criminal activity is the false sense of security often prevalent in low-crime areas, which can make people less vigilant when it comes to protecting their property under the guise that “nothing bad happens here.” 

“Nothing bad ever happens here – until it does,” he said.

Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News that the number of vehicles reported stolen in Washington City has remained relatively steady. Last year, there were 44 vehicles reported stolen, and so far this year, the department has received 32 vehicle theft reports. With five months to go, Williams said the number of stolen vehicles could easily exceed last year’s totals.

Across Washington County, he said there were 456 vehicles reported stolen last year, which is more than one per day on average. Similar to what St. George authorities are seeing, he said there also has been an upsurge in the number of car-related thefts across the county so far this year.

But the crime that recently has seen a significant surge in Washington City is the number of vehicle burglaries reported to police in recent months, Williams said.

Similarly, in Cedar City, the number of vehicles reported stolen has remained fairly consistent this year, Cedar City Police Sgt. Justin Ludlow said, and in recent months they also have seen an uptick in the number of vehicle burglaries.

With vehicle thefts, Ludlow said, the most important step residents can take is making sure the vehicle is locked anytime it is unoccupied. And regardless of how long a vehicle is left unattended, parking lots are prime targets for thieves, he said.

Moreover, whether the intent is to steal a vehicle or break into it, suspects can easily hide and conceal their activities in a parking lot, since they can hide between cars, and are less likely to draw attention to themselves, Ludlow added.

Tracking down stolen vehicles

One tool that has been highly effective for investigators searching for stolen vehicles is tracking systems installed on many vehicles, such as General Motor’s OnStar system or Ford’s new wireless tracking service that is factory installed on some Ford models, Ludlow said.

Authorities utilize the program “Smart Alert,” which uses global positioning technology to find a vehicle and the location information is then sent through a cellular network. There are also after-market programs that can be installed as well, he said.

This technology allows for the rapid recovery of a vehicle by providing location information or GPS coordinates, which also reduces the risk of the vehicle being stripped or damaged in cases where a vehicle is left abandoned.

“These location tracking tools have been extremely effective in recovering stolen vehicles quickly,” Ludlow added.

Ludlow also encouraged citizens to remove any valuables from their vehicles, which can deter criminals and also reduce the losses that result from this type of criminal activity.

One common theme running through all of the interviews with law enforcement is that vehicle thefts are “crimes of opportunity.” And in many cases, suspects will continue checking car doors until they find one unlocked. And then if the keys are left inside, they drive off.

“Thieves are opportunistic and don’t really want to work very hard,” Briggs said. “So keeping the car locked and taking the keys with you will reduce the risk of becoming a victim because it makes it difficult to break into – it’s too much work.”

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