Here’s what you can do to help prevent car break-ins

SAN ANTONIO – Hailey Villarreal said she felt a rush of fear and frustration after her car was broken into.

“It was shattered all over the place, and there was glass everywhere,” Villarreal said. “And it’s happened two more times after. Not even just mine. It’s been around the whole neighborhood.”

The San Antonio Police Department said car thefts and car break-ins are a citywide problem. But during the holidays, officers expect even more of a spike.

“This is the time of year where we see numbers rise up and burglary vehicles,” Ricardo Guzman, a spokesperson for the department, said. “A lot of it is due to shopping.”

Here are five tips from SAPD to help prevent these crimes:

• Lock your car
• Take out any valuables
• Don’t leave your keys inside your vehicle
• Leave shopping bags at home or hide them
• Park in a well-lit area

“It’s scary,” resident Rosemary Garza said. “But, we all look out for each other.”

Related coverage on KSAT:

• Your car is stolen. What you should do and what police do to find it

• San Antonio Hyundai car owners finding ‘peace of mind’ at anti-theft event

• ‘It all needs protection these days’: San Antonio police, car shops push preventative measures with car thefts up

• MAP: 19,000 cars were reported stolen in San Antonio over 12 months. See where in searchable database.