HOW TO PREVENT YOUR CAR FROM GETTING BROKEN INTO DURING THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON

 Fortuna, Ca-   Fortuna police say they will see an increase in car burglaries with the holiday shopping season approaching.Before you chose to hide presents from your friends and family in your car, think twice. Lieutenant Matthew Eberhardt told us, "thefts from vehicles to tend to increase over the holidays with people shopping and buying stuff and hiding things from kids and storing them in cars."Law enforcement officials say they see this all too often around this time of year; People leaving shopping bags out in the open with holiday presents visible to anyone passing by the vehicle. Eberhardt said, "Even if it's something that's not valuable someone is going to see a bag and they may decide to get into the car look through it and see what they can find… People who are going to steal these items typically look for unlocked vehicles. They look for things that are easy."Law enforcement officials tell us that vehicle break-ins usually happen in dimly lit areas. Eberhardt added, "Parking in areas that aren't out of the way that are close to other vehicles and well lit areas."Thieves can break in by popping the lock or even using a jagged old key, but they always try to remain discrete. Eberhardt added, “The majority of the times they are not wanting to make a big scene break windows make a lot of noise."Police officers recommend that you do not approach someone who is breaking into a car, just call 9-1-1 and an officer will respond.