In law enforcement circles, they are practically mantras. Lock your car. Dont leave valuables inside. Keep your house locked, even when you are home.

But a surprising number of Bend residents fail to heed that advice.

Its the attitude that It aint gonna happen to me, but it does, said Steve Esselstyn, community liaison for the Bend Police Department.

Bend is not a small town anymore, Esselstyn said, and with rapid growth comes an inevitable increase in crime.

And police say that folks who do not take simple precautions, like locking up and securing valuables, are prime targets for prowlers and thieves looking for an easy score.

Dont invite people to rip you off, said Bend police Lt. John Gautney. Leaving your keys in the car with a full tank of gas, leaving valuables inside, leaving your doors unlocked makes it easy.

A review by The Bulletin of Bend Police Department records for January 2007 showed that 31 car break-ins were reported during the month. Sunglasses, iPods, cash, compact discs and electronic equipment were among the items reported stolen.

During the same time period, Bend residents reported 33 burglaries and five stolen cars to the Deschutes County 911 Service District.

One of those calls came from eight-year Bend resident Linda Pernell.

Pernell, 64, said she never even thought about locking her doors while spending time at the west-side home she shares with her two dogs until a recent Sunday evening.

The three were relaxing in front of the television when she heard a noise in the kitchen.

When the three went to investigate, Pernell found a really big man standing just inside her doorway, mumbling to himself.

I said, What the heck are you doing in my house? she said. It was so unnerving.

The man did not try to approach her, she said. She told him to leave several times but he appeared disoriented and did not go.

Pernell tried to talk to him and find out why he was there but could only get him to say that he had made a mistake.

When Pernell threatened to call police, he made an unhurried exit.

What was so surprising was the way he moved and how slow he was, she said.

Pernell did call police, but they were unable to locate the man.

Now she locks her doors whether she is home or not.

Im trying to live a little more carefully, which none of us want to do, but I think it is smart, Pernell said.

Smart, and the best way to avoid being a crime victim, Gautney said.

The department is constantly taking calls reporting burglaries, break-ins and thefts, he said. Often the calls come from folks who never thought they would be victimized.

Its hard for some people to realize, if they dont deal with this on a daily basis and see the people that get ripped off, that this is a common occurrence, Gautney said.

He said the vast majority of reports that come across his desk involve thefts from homes or cars, and estimated that his patrol team spends up to 75 percent of their time on those calls.

In 2006, the department handled about 11,000 cases, Gautney said.

I would bet you that the majority of those cases had to do with theft from vehicles and theft from residences, and things that could have been avoided, he said.

A second victim

The same night Pernell came face to face with a stranger in her home, Richard Runyons portable global positioning system was stolen from his car as it sat in his driveway.

Runyon moved with his family from Salt Lake City to their northeast Bend home nearly 10 years ago. He said other than his five sons missing a few bikes, they have not had any problems.

We have old cars and we dont really have a lot of nice stuff, Runyon said. I left my car unlocked like I always do, I had a brand new GPS in the car and they took it.

Runyon, 48, said he also had electronics in the glove compartment, but they were not taken.

Were definitely locking our cars now, he said.

But many drivers still do not, even when they are out on a shopping trip.

Walking through a Bend big box stores parking lot Tuesday morning, Esselstyn spotted car after car with the doors unlocked.

A 20-minute tour of the lot revealed it as a thiefs paradise. Purses, cash, electronics, compact discs and personal information were left on top of center consoles, on seats and dashboards.

Mail and bank deposit slips were left unattended in two vehicles.

This person is ripe for identity theft, Esselstyn said as he pointed out a black leather purse inside a luxury sport utility vehicle.

A new sedan with its sunroof open a few rows away had a radar detector sitting on the passenger seat.

And shopping bags containing new merchandise were a common find.

It doesnt really matter what is inside (the bags), he said. They will take anything if they think it has value. It could be an old ham sandwich but they dont know that until they get it out behind the building and open it up.

All bags should be locked in the trunk or secured inside a truck cab, Esselstyn said. Portable electronics belong in a locked compartment if they must be left unattended.

Dont make it easy for them, he said.

Whether items are taken from a car, a home, a business or work site, many of the thefts are committed by people looking for quick cash to buy drugs, Gautney said.

Most of the people you take into custody for those kinds of things either have prior drug offenses or have drugs on them, he said.

Many times stolen items will end up at a pawn shop, he said, a quick source of cash for thieves looking to fence valuable items.

They rip people off, go to the pawn shop then get the money and I dont think they are buying food with it, Gautney said.