It's a warning local authorities issue every single year, and still it goes unheard too often.

Locking your vehicles at night.

Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers says it never fails, when the spring arrives, and it appears to have arrived in central Illinois, the amount of foot traffic directly correlates to the amount of vehicle burglaries they experience.

If you do not have a garage or somewhere secure to park your vehicle, Chief Lowers encourages parking in a well lit area if possible. He says doing simple things can keep yourself from becoming victim to a crime that is very preventable.

According to Chief Lowers, often times they receive a call from those that have fallen victim to car burglaries, however, they often do not hear from victims because they believe nothing was removed from their cars. The Chief says in that scenario, they still want to hear from you.

Chief Lowers explains in some scenarios, they are able to recover valuables stolen out of cars and get them returned.

He also notes it is very infrequent a burglar will harm a vehicle to get in, rather, they stroll the streets looking for unlocked cars.