By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

Following a recent uptick in vehicle thefts in Emery County, Sheriff Tyson Huntington joined the KOAL newsroom to discuss some safety tips for keeping your property safe while the Sheriff’s Office catches the culprits.

“Right after graduation, we had a vehicle taken from the stake center parking lot in Huntington. And then we’ve noticed we’ve had a handful since then. A couple of nights later, we had a couple of other vehicles stolen. And I think in total, we’ve had about five that have been taken. All of the vehicles have been recovered at this point. Nonetheless, we still had somebody getting into somebody else’s car and taking the vehicle,” said the Sheriff. “The one thing that all the vehicles had in common, though, is they all were left unlocked, and they all had keys to the vehicle inside the vehicle somewhere or even in the ignition.”

 Huntington then provided some tips for citizens to help avoid these situations,” just remember to lock your cars, keep your valuables out of sight and keep your keys, not in the car when you leave them parked for the night. That’s going to be probably the biggest deterrent. Remember to always keep your eye out on stuff as well.”

The Sheriff added,” If you see something that doesn’t seem quite right, feel free to give us a call and let us come check it out. Also, if you notice that the vehicle is gone or something’s missing, please call the Sheriff’s office first. Don’t call friends and family first, but maybe call the Sheriff’s office first so we can get there.”

Citizens are encouraged to call 911 in emergencies. For non-emergencies, the Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 435-381-2404.

The ECSO shared some additional tips in a post on social media: “Close windows and sunroofs. Leaving windows or sunroofs open, even a crack, provides an easy access point for criminals. Consider additional security measures. For added protection, consider investing in steering wheel locks, car alarms, or vehicle tracking systems. Do not leave valuables in plain sight. While not directly related to vehicle theft, leaving wallets, purses, electronics, or other valuables visible inside your car can make it a more attractive target for break-ins.”

Huntington then spoke on what the Sheriff’s Office is doing to catch the criminals behind the thefts. “It’s a double-edged approach with these kinds of things. We want to show a big show of force and have cops in the area to deter people from committing crimes. But then, on the other hand, we want to catch the people doing it so we can remedy the problem. So you have to find that balance of a show of force as opposed to maybe some undercover stuff to watch the areas and see if we can see people moving at night and that kind of thing. And that’s what we’ve been up to trying to do. And unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find anybody at night. So, at this point, we’re just gonna shore up our patrols and get more deputies in the area.”

In closing, Sheriff Huntington stated,” We’ve had a lot of people reach out and give us information that has taken us down some trails to investigate and find some things. We’ve been able to get some good information that has led us to a couple of suspects that we have not made contact with yet, but we will. And just continue to look out for your neighbors and friends and be there for them.”