By Paris Jackson

EUGENE, Ore--With one of the highest rates of property crime in the state, Eugene's numbers actually come in above the national average.

Over the next three days, we're going to focus on three of the most popular forms of property crimes in Eugene.

Property crimes cover an array of categories, one being burglaries. Police data for 2009 shows the neighborhoods between Oak and Hilyard Streets have a very high concentration of home break-ins and theft.

To put things into perspective, there's actually been a decline in home burglaries. In 2007, 817 single family homes were broken into. Where as, in 2009, there's only been 619.

EPD data also shows in January of 2009, 96 burglary cases were reported. As of September 2009, there's been 47 burglaries. Police said home break-ins are typically motivated by opportunity.

"We're seeing all kinds of break-ins, but i'd say a full 40 percent of break-ins in Eugene are through open doors and windows, and that's a pretty large percent of those crimes," Crime Prevention Specialist Tod Schneider.

Here are some ways to prevent home burglaries:

*Lock your doors and windows

*Organize Neighborhood Watch Group

*Utilize Seniors on Patrol Program

*Utilize EPD's Home Safety Inspection

Police said the more security measures you take the more, likely you are to prevent a break-in. Police numbers show more burglaries occur on Thursday than any other day of the week. Saturday has the least occurrences.