DENVER -- Denver authorities say thanks to a DNA program that targets burglars, property crime is down 30 percent in Denver.

DNA has been widely used in violent crimes like murder and sexual assault, but it has been only recently that some cities have started using it to track down people who commit property crimes, said Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey.

Morrissey said the program has been going for three years and each year, property crimes have dropped an average of about 12 percent.

"In the first two years we caught 95 habitual burglars," Morrissey said. "So far this, our third year, we've caught 53 habitual criminals."

Among those criminals, are a couple of serial burglars who were linked to a string of burglaries because they left DNA evidence behind at the scenes of some of the break-ins. The district attorney identified them as David and Dina Weller.

"They weren't particularly careful about covering themselves," said Eric Jacobsen, whose house was burglarized by the Wellers.

The couple stole Jacobsen's rare coins and his mother's valuable jewelry.

"The house was just ransacked," Jacobsen said. "Drawers thrown on the floor, a TV overturned."

Not long after the burglary, police found the Wellers and the coins and jewelry they had stolen from Jacobsen. Because the two had left evidence like cigarette butts behind at other crime scenes, they were eventually linked to a number of crimes.

Morrissey said in another case, a career burglar's DNA was captured after he decided to stop and eat.

"Must've gotten hungry in the burglary, so he opened the refrigerator, took a bite out of a tuna fish sandwich," said Morrissey. "He might as well have left his name on the sandwich."

Morrissey urged anyone who is burglarized in their home to refrain from cleaning the house to preserve crucial evidence until after police have examined the scene. He also said victims should pay careful attention to anything that is amiss in the house.

He said burglars can leave behind blood spatters while smashing a window in, or sometimes make the mistake of leaving a chewed wad of gum behind that can lead to an arrest.

Morrissey said the success of the program speaks for itself. Denver's property crime rate has dropped an average of about 12 percent each year over the past three years.

He said another sign of the programs success is cost. Authorities figure for every dollar paid for the program, taxpayers are saving $63 in lost property and police resources.