The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is alerting the community of an increase in thefts of motor vehicles.  Since January, Sheriff’s Deputies have responded to reports of 16 motor vehicle thefts, most occurring in the northeast quadrant of Lake County.

Most of the thefts involve running vehicles, which are left unoccupied in an effort to warm the car.  

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office offers the following tips to avoid being the victim of a vehicle theft:

•    Don’t ever leave your vehicle running and unoccupied

o    Vehicle thieves surveille the area and look for unoccupied running cars in driveways or parking lots

•    Remove all spare key fobs from your vehicle

o    With the fob left inside your vehicle, all a thief has to do is push the brake and ignition button

•    If parking your car outdoors, utilize exterior lighting

o    Lighting and motion-detected lights can deter thieves from coming onto your property

•    Consider exterior cameras

o    Exterior cameras are extremely beneficial to help identify