Vehicle break-ins on the rise in Bonneville County as the holidays near

It’s a crime of opportunity, and opportunity’s been presenting itself an awful lot lately.

There were a total of 120 break-ins in the last four months. Compare that to only 70 break-ins during the first six months of the year.

As the holidays approach, police say they’ll likely see an increase in these crimes.

“People become more vulnerable because they leave their Christmas presents, or they leave little extra things in the car that they normally wouldn’t do,” said Joelyn Hansen, with the Idaho Falls Police Department.

Tuesday, there were two break-ins in the same day. One happened on Placer Avenue, while another took place on East Elva Street. They both happened in broad daylight.

“It can happen anytime of the day; it doesn’t matter when it occurs,” Hansen said. “It can be in a busy parking lot. It can be anywhere.”

Police say be sure to lock your doors and remove all valuables from your car.

“That includes even loose change that might be sitting in a little cup holder or that’s visible,” Hansen said.

“The other thing we see around this time of year is that people will tend to warm up their cars in the morning, and a lot of times they warm up their cars and they leave the doors unlocked,” Hansen said.