APD warns out of town guests to lock cars

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - With more people in Albuquerque this week because of the Balloon Fiesta, police officers are saying it's a good time to remind guests not to leave valuables in their cars.

So far, things have been quiet in the last few days since the start of Balloon Fiesta. That's also about the time Albuquerque Police have to step up their efforts to watch out for thieves because of the influx of vehicles in town.

The department says this is the time of year they see those spikes in burglaries. They're also warning guests or anybody driving by hotels to be vigilant and watch out for suspicious people looking into car windows. The same goes for double checking that all the windows are rolled up and the doors are locked.

"If a criminal is going to choose between two vehicles to break into and one has nothing inside and the other one has some electronics or a purse or bag that may look like it has cash or other valuables in it, any other backpacks or those types of things are going to lure them," says APD Officer Tasia Martinez. "They're going to be more attractive to criminals as opposed to a vehicle that doesn't seem to have anything off hand that they can take of value."

APD says they will also have tactical plans running throughout town to curtail thieves efforts.  This will also include the use of bait vehicles and other properties thieves may want to steal.