ASCENSION PARISH - Authorities in Ascension Parish are encouraging locals to keep their vehicles locked due to multiple reports of vehicle burglaries in the area.

Sheriff Bobby Webre of the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office (APSO) took to the organization's Facebook Page on Wednesday to warn residents about the burglaries, saying, "A rash of reported vehicle burglaries in Ascension Parish where nearly all the burglaries were from unlocked vehicles. Thieves are taking any and everything you leave in your vehicle; i.e. computers, purses, and/or electronic devices because the owner of the vehicle chooses not to lock their vehicles.

Video surveillance has shown time after time that thieves pull on door handles looking for a vehicle that’s been left unlocked but typically walk away from locked vehicles. Therefore, you stand a 95 percent chance of not being a victim if you do this one simple thing; lock your vehicles at all times and do not leave valuables in plain sight.

Help us help you, always be proactive, be vigilant, but most of all be safe!" 

According to one report, last year a total of 1,121,083 cases of vehicle burglaries were reported in the United States.

And, as Sheriff Webre mentioned, burglaries and theft tend to occur frequently during the holiday season.