Fairfax County is generally a safe place to live. But the county's police chief reminded residents that doesn't mean that no crime occurs there and residents should lock their vehicles and garages to safeguard their valuables.

WASHINGTON — Break-ins are the most prevalent crime in the region’s most populated county, Fairfax.

While that may seem a positive statistic, as it is not normally a violent crime, the county’s police chief said it’s preventable and using up limited resources.

Those who reside in Fairfax County have a feeling it’s a safe place to live, and they’re not wrong, said police chief Edwin C. Roessler. But they could make things easier on themselves and officers by locking up.

“They leave their garages open and cars unlocked and unfortunately, those are opportunities for criminals to steal iPhones out of cars, or then walk into the house and take jewelry or pocketbooks,” he said.

Larceny calls dominate the daily workload for officers, who otherwise could be working on investigations or assisting an emergency response, Roessler said.

“So we need people to take prevention efforts by locking their cars; when not using their garage, please keep the garage shut and lock the doors,” he said.