By CASSANDRA MICKENS/Associate Editor

NORTH SHELBY — A recent string of car break-ins in north Shelby County has prompted the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to remind residents to secure their vehicles.

Approximately 19 car break-ins took place in residential neighborhoods along Cahaba Valley Road near Doug Baker Boulevard Feb. 27. Credit cards, checkbooks, cash, phones and guns were among the items stolen, as well as an unlocked vehicle with the keys left inside. Sheriff’s investigators are following leads to identify the suspects.

“The common theme with these thefts is that all of the vehicles that were unlawfully entered and the one that was stolen were left unlocked,” read a sheriff’s office news release issued March 5.

This past September, the sheriff’s office issued a news release advising residents of similar break-ins in the same area. Again, the targeted vehicles were unlocked.

In an effort to avoid car break-ins, the sheriff’s office continues to promote its crime prevention and awareness campaign titled “Lock It. Hide It. Keep It.”

The three-step campaign goes as follows:

Lock It: Lock your vehicle every time you leave it unattended and always lock your valuables in the trunk.

Hide It: If you don’t have a trunk, hide valuables under the seats, in the glove box or other compartments within the vehicle.

Keep It: Personal responsibility is the best prevention to safeguard personal property and to prevent becoming a victim.

Anyone with information about the recent break-ins is urged to call the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (205) 669-4181 or the Secret Witness line at (205) 669-9116.