text: Two Simple Steps Could Save You from Vehicle Prowlers
  LEWISTON, ID —
  With Halloween over many have started thinking about Christmas. But just as you're making your shopping list, thieves are also preparing for the holiday season.
  It's this time of year that police see an increase in thefts, and Lewiston police are seeing a rise in vehicle burglaries.
  There have been multiple reports from the Normal Hill area, as well as near Sunset Drive and downtown.
  Lieutenant Budd Hurd says these are crimes of opportunity. Thieves often just go from car to car to check for unlocked doors, and leaving valuables out in the open or leaving your car easily accessible is enticing to thieves.
  Lt. Hurd says, "As we go into the holiday season, Thanksgiving and especially towards Christmas, this becomes an issue with stuff that gets left in cars. Guns, because this time of year a lot of guys tend to sometimes leave their guns in their pickups."
  Lieutenant Hurd says they don't often see "smash and grab" vehicle burglaries where thieves break windows to get inside. Recently they have had a couple, which is why he recommends people not leave anything of value lying out in the open.