Bonney Lake police this past week issued an alert via email warning residents of an increase in car prowls in recent weeks.

According to Crime Analyst Laura Miller, the most recent targeted areas are the northwest and southwest areas of the city, primarily Locust Avenue West to 183rd Avenue East, as well as the Angeline Road area.

“We’ve also seen some off South Prairie Road and 200th (Avenue East),” she said.

Miller said she noticed the increase in those neighborhoods while using a piece of mapping software that showed hotspots in the city for certain crimes.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, Miller said Bonney Lake police took reports of vehicle prowls from 38 residents.

In December, Bonney Lake Police stepped up efforts to warn shoppers about prowlers and offer tips on how to make their car less attractive to thieves. Officers and department staff physically patrolled lots during the shopping season, looking at cars as a thief would and offering tips to drivers in the form of a notice on their windshield.

Miller deemed the program a success, but said it may have shifted thieves out of parking lots and into more residential neighborhoods.

The police offer the following tips to keep vehicles secure:

• Lock vehicles at all times;

• Remove all items of value from your vehicles including purses, wallets, GPS units, cell phones or other devices;

• Turn on porch and garage lights during the hours of darkness or install a motion detector light; and

• Do not rely on car alarms to protect valuables.

Miller said reporting the incident to police is key to catching vehicle prowlers because it lets police know where crimes are happening. Miller said often when officers canvas an neighborhood after a crime, residents report seeing suspicious individuals or cars, but opting not to call police with something so minor.

“Afterwards, they’re like ‘oh, we should have called,'” Miller said, adding that it is never a bother to inform police and that the department will prioritize calls if something else takes precedence.

And a description of a suspicious car can sometimes make all the difference.

“We would much rather be looking for a specific vehicle … than afterwards trying to chase a ghost,” Miller said.

If you are a victim of a car prowl, report the theft to the Bonney Lake Police Department as soon as possible at the 24-hour non-emergency number, 253-841-5538.