ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) – As fall temperatures arrive, police want to make sure drivers don’t create easy targets for thieves by warming up their cars and leaving the keys inside.

“I see it daily,” said Cpl. Barry Bayles of St. Charles County Police.

He says every day, people leave their cars running at gas stations and run inside or in their driveway. And thieves know this. All it takes is a second.

St. Charles County has made major strides in reducing the number of car thefts in the region thanks to its auto theft task force. But the numbers are still high.

In 2020, there were 632 cars stolen; last year, that number was down to 399. Still high. They want to ensure it doesn’t get worse over the winter months which Bayles calls the busy time of year for thieves.

According to St. Charles County, 90 percent of vehicle thefts happened when the doors were unlocked.

Copyright 2023 KMOV. All rights reserved.