ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — Locking your car or house or garage…It only takes a few seconds…but it could save you hundreds or thousands if you do it.

In 2010, over 1,000 car thefts were reported in Baldwin County and in 85 percent of those the cars were unlocked and in many cases, money and weapons were taken. This has been a problem that has grown significantly in the past year.

Because of this rise and concern for public safety, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department in conjunction with Baldwin County Police Agencies and Departments have teamed up to launch a new public service campaign…Lock It or Lose It.

Simply put, your chances of having something taken could be dramatically decreased if you take the time to lock your doors and take all your valuables out of your car at night.

“A phone or a laptop can be major losses but if they get into the hands of a criminal and he or she has access to your personal information, like a bank account or social security number, it could cost your thousands or if you leave a weapon in your car and it is stolen, the consequences could be much worse,” said Baldwin County Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack.

Captain Daniel Bell of the Daphne Police Department, the organizer of the campaign, noticed a significant increase in the number of car thefts last year and started in December trying to come up with a public service campaign to alert the community of the seriousness of the situation.

“The county is experiencing a dramatic increase in this type of activity and we are urging everyone to please take the time to secure and lock up your property, especially at night when a lot of these crimes are occurring. It only takes a thief a few seconds to go through a car and take your valuables while you are sleeping in your bed,” Bell said.

Police Chiefs and other department officials from Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Daphne, Loxley, Robertsdale and Bay Minette were on hand to answer questions and offer information specific to their areas.

“Our idea is to collectively hold a campaign to include all police agencies within the county to bring public awareness to this growing issue. With a joint effort, the impact this campaign can and will significantly increase our chances of reaching a mass audience to reduce this types of crimes from happening,” said Bell.

There are not any specific groups or gangs involved in these thefts and they are not targeting specific places to hit, Bell said, they are just looking for unlocked cars. “They may go through 15 or 20 cars and may only take stuff out of two or three of them. They are looking for high-ticket items, stuff they can pawn or sell and get a lot of money for. Baldwin County is a safe place but it would be safer if people would lock up their stuff and hide it from view of a thief,” Bell said.

In Daphne specifically, Bell said they had 144 theft cases last year with $86,000 worth of property taken including nine handguns and only 24 cars were locked and the rest were unlocked. So far in 2011, there have been 101 cases with 97 cars unlocked, 10 handguns stolen and $52,500 in properly taken.

“I could easily see where we could exceed 200 cases this year if we don’t do something to let the public know of this very serious issue. And even though we have made nine arrests, the numbers keep going up and t’s not the same people doing the crimes,” Bell said.

Robertsdale Police Chief Brad Kendrick said they had a couple of break-ins over Spring Break and about 12 reports recently. They have made some arrests but they still have one case where an assault rifle is still missing. “The thieves are not targeting specific areas, they are just looking for unlocked cars.”

Loxley reported about 99 cases from 2010, according to Police Chief Chip Cason.

“We want this campaign and this slogan to become a household phrase and want people to be familiar with ti and see it everywhere they go. Like the “Click It or Ticket” campaign for seat belts, we want the same thing for ‘Lock It or Lose It’, “ Bell said.

For more information on the program, contact Bell at (251) 621-2809 or (251) 621-9100 or go to your local police department website.