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ST. PETERSBURG - Someone has visited a number of homes the last few nights, and it's not a guy in red and white whose belly shakes like a bowl of jelly.
Thieves burglarized 37 cars in west St. Petersburg last weekend. They took a purse, sunglasses, loose change - even a remote-control toy meant to be a Christmas gift.
St. Petersburg police said it appears the break-ins may have been committed by the same burglars. A witness saw two men trying doors Saturday night, but didn't get a good look at the pair.
Police said the burglaries have one thing in common: All the victims left their doors unlocked.
"They would go from car to car," said Sgt. Karen Eichler of the St. Petersburg Police Department's burglary unit. "If a car was locked, they wouldn't smash the glass. They would just go on to the next unlocked car."
Police said it's a good reminder that motorists should lock their doors at all times, even if they're parked in the driveway near their home. Valuables also should not be left inside cars at any time.
If car doors are not locked, thieves have little trouble getting inside.
"It's so easy, they just have to open a car door," Eichler said. "By just concentrating on unlocked vehicles, it's quieter and quicker."
Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said auto burglaries spiked during the last Christmas season around shopping malls and stores. Police have upped patrols in those areas, which has been effective at slowing such crimes.