Dec. 9, 1999

With holiday shopping comes the inevitable--car prowlers. They're striking all over Salt Lake City. The most recent target? The underground parking structure at Trolley Square. We visited the lot and found a laptop computer, briefcases and purses all in plain view.

Det. Shelley Stevensen/Salt Lake City Police Dept.: "PEOPLE WILL TAKE ANYTHING OF VALUE. THEY'LL BREAK A $200 WINDOW JUST TO TAKE 35 CENTS IN CHANGE."

Stacey Butler, Eyewitness News: "DETECTIVES ARE INVESTIGATING 25 BREAK INS FROM THE EAST BENCHES TO DOWNTOWN PARKING LOTS, ALL IN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS. POLICE SAY ALMOST EVERY REPORT IS THE SAME. THIEVES ARE DRAWN TO WHAT'S SITTING INSIDE THE CAR."

"PEOPLE STILL LEAVE PURSES, CHECKBOOKS, COMPUTERS, SUNGLASSES."

And this time of year, it's no surprise that the problem only gets worse.

Det. Stevensen: "PEOPLE LEAVE A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE PROPERTY THIS TIME OF YEAR, THEY'LL GO OUT FROM THE MALL, FILL THEIR CAR FULL OF PACKAGES, SOMEONE WILL WATCH THEM DO THAT."

Many are aware their car may be a target, but they have yet to change their ways.

Jim Issac/Salt Lake City: "UNTIL YOU GET ROBBED, YOU PROBABLY DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. THEN YOU WISH YOU HAD."

Sean Bennetts/Salt Lake City: "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I'VE GOT TO WORK, I CAN'T SIT IN MY CAR ALL DAY."

In one downtown parking lot we found an amplifier in one car, a purse in another, and a new computer keyboard. And if you think you're safe locking your doors and running a quick errand, think again.

"THEY CAN BE IN AND OUT OF YOUR CAR IN 15-20 SECONDS."

Last month 377 car thefts were reported. Just three of those cases were solved. Police say because the thieves are fast and usually strike at night, they are rarely seen and therefore rarely caught.