PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – With the long weekend for Memorial Day, many will head to the beautiful trails and parks in the Portland region. But every year, people fall victim to car break-ins at trailhead parking lots, and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is sharing some tips to stay safe.

A FOX 12 crew visited Forest Park in Portland on Sunday, and broken glass was present at almost every parking space.

Leyda Carvajal came to her hike prepared, having learned a lesson years ago.

“It happened to me over on the east side,” she said. “I had some valuable things in my car that I thought I had stowed away safely, but when I came back, my car had been broken into.”

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She now has a device that starts recording people whenever they get close to her car, and it allows her greater safety while hiking.

“I still store everything, but if they look in the car they can basically see nothing of interest and hopefully move away,” Carvajal said.

Her friend Sarah Levy said every time she comes to the park she sees broken glass on the ground.

“I didn’t bring my purse or my wallet, I just brought my license with me and just make sure I just have nothing of value showing in the car,” Levy said.

Other hikers said it was certainly busier than normal out on the trails, and they have their own methods of protection.

“My windows are tinted so it helps to prevent some look-i-loos in my car, other than that, putting them in the trunk just out of sight,” said Aaron Horwitz from California.

John Lee from Portland said he had seen a recent post on Reddit about someone who had his car broken into at Forest Park.

“We make a point that if there’s anything that we don’t need to bring we just leave it at home,” Lee said. “There’s too many rocks around, somebody can just smash a window and just grab some stuff out of there.”

But those incidents weren’t enough to keep these hikers away.

“Don’t let it deter you, just be smart,” Carvajal said.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office told FOX 12 that they will not be increasing patrols at parks or trails over Memorial Day weekend due to resource constraints.

But deputies did share some tips to lower the chance of a break-in, including to leave any valuables at home or place them in the trunk before arriving, so those who might be staking out at parking lots won’t see where items are hidden.

They also recommended placing important cards or documents in a Ziplock bag inside a day pack so they don’t get wet if hikers encounter any water.

They gave the following advice to people who are victims of theft:

• FIRST: Contact your bank as soon as possible and cancel credit cards and debit cards.
• If your bank tells you that charges to your card(s) were tried or made, get specific information, including the retailer name, address, time and dollar amount.
• Contact law enforcement to file a report. Break-ins in Multnomah County can be filed online or by calling 503-823-3333.
• Contact your insurance company if you decide to file a claim or call a rental car company.

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