MONTE VISTA — Over the past couple of weeks, the Monte Vista Police Department has taken numerous burglary reports.

“Many of these are crimes of opportunities for the thief who may be simply walking past your unlocked vehicle, garage or home,” stated MVPD Chief George Dingfelder.

Here are some tips from MVPD to help minimize thefts:

• Do not leave your house or vehicle unlocked. Thieves often take the path of least resistance. An unlocked house, garage or vehicle is an easy target.
• Keep items of value out of view, especially in vehicles. Don’t leave your keys, wallets, ID or other identifying information in your vehicle. Thieves often target vehicles where these items are in view.
• If you see something, say something. Don’t wait to contact the police. If something seems out of place or suspicious, call us. The dog barking unexpectedly when they would otherwise not be barking might be a clue something is out of place.
• Mark your valuable items in an inconspicuous location or take pictures and write down serial numbers. This helps law enforcement identity the owner when items are found or recovered.
• Leave porch lights on and if you have motion detectors make sure they are in working order. Keep the area well lit.
• If you have surveillance videos, doorbell cams or other detection devices, make sure they are working.
• Watch out for your neighbors. If you know your neighbor is gone and you see something out of place or suspicious, say something by calling the police.
• The MVPD will do vacation checks on homes. If you are going to be out of town and want us to do random checks of your residence, please contact us.

“Do not hesitate to call us,” Dingfelder stated. “We often hear citizens say they didn’t want to bother us with something they thought was insignificant or minor. We would rather respond and find it is insignificant than miss an opportunity to catch a thief or stop a crime.”