INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — With an influx of tourism this summer at Lake Tahoe from people all over the country, residents in Incline Village are noticing that some of their items on the beaches or in their cars are going missing more often than usual.

But when the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office goes to find records of these petty thefts, they come up blank.

So how does this affect the residents of Incline Village and other surrounding communities?

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sarah Johns explained that when people only report smaller thefts to insurance companies but do not contact local law enforcement, it takes away the ability for agencies, like WCSO, to prevent future crimes.

“People tend not to report those crimes because they don’t think anything will happen, but we want to change that mindset,” Johns said. “If your vehicle or residence or your business has been broken into, file a report online with us. We want you to call our non-emergency dispatch line. We will send deputies out to take that report, gather that information, get the forensics that is needed… So that we truly know where the crime is happening and with our presence being there, it’s got a trickle effect right?”

The call for action comes as WSCO has begun to make some changes in their patrol styles in order to prevent crimes such as car thefts and robberies.

“They’ve [Incline deputies] been doing continual and repeated area tests at our trailheads,” said Johns. “We amped that up, and that’s been for a number of days.”

To report a crime, see the list of local law enforcement non-emergency numbers below.