New data from the Boulder police department shows a staggering 189% increase in burglaries over the past month, though officials say this is not linked to the coronavirus epidemic. Instead, officials say there has been an increase in burglaries across all of 2020 compared to 2019.

Police say the increase is likely due to more people leaving their doors, windows, and garages open or unlocked.

80% of the cases involved buildings left unlocked. 35% of the cases involved burglary from an open garage.

Officials warn that 65% of the cases still had a person inside the premises, and they warned that it was a common misconception that you don’t need to lock up just because you’re at home.

“That is definitely a misconception. When someone sees an easy target and they’re desperate, they’re going to go for it. And unfortunately, that makes the crime just that much more violating to the victim.”

Officials are cautioning Boulderites to lock their doors and windows, invest in motion detectors or an alarm system, and keep valuables out of sight.

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