SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – You’ve heard it time and time again from Sioux Falls Police.

“A cold vehicle is not nice. It’s still better than no vehicle when you go outside and it’s missing because you’ve left it running unattended with the keys in the ignition and unlocked,” Lt. Andrew Siebenborn with SFPD said in November.

“Make sure that you are going to lock your car, if you are going to try to warm it up before you travel anywhere,” Sgt. Jessica Speckmeier with SFPD said in October.

“It’s an easy step to do. It’s really locking your car and taking your keys out of your car,” Sam Clemens with SFPD said in September.

You may have even seen the social media posts.

But despite all the messaging, Sioux Falls Police say people are still stealing cars. Chief Jon Thum says so far this year the city’s seen nearly 1,500 stolen vehicles.

“It’s increased over the last years, but the reality is that it is incredibly easy to prevent with over 8 of 10 stolen cars unlocked with the keys left in it,” Thum said.

That’s why the city council authorized $50,000 to go toward a community awareness campaign about locking your cars.

“Throughout the month of December, Sioux Falls residents can expect to see ads while scrolling on the internet. They’ll be on Google, Instagram, Facebook and we will even have ads on Spotify,” City Councilor Sarah Cole said.

Thum says the goal is to see fewer stolen vehicles in 2024, which will happen if people create new patterns of behavior.

“We have to talk to each other about it, talk to our kids. For me, it’s a pattern of behavior. Every night before I go to bed, I locate my keys, I hit the lock button, I watch the lights flash and then I can go to sleep,” Thum said.

Cole says the December ad campaign will spend the first $25,000 of the allotted $50,000. In January, they will look at how the ads were interacted with and determine how to spend the rest of the money.