Though it should be common sense, Brookhaven Police Capt. Clint Earls offered some sound advice to all residents: lock your vehicle doors.

There was another rash of auto burglaries over the Fourth of July weekend. It seems every few months, a string of auto burglaries is reported, and it usually involves unlocked vehicles.

None of the vehicles were damaged during the recent thefts, which make police suspect the doors were left unlocked.

The first report came July 3 from the owner of a vehicle parked in the downtown area by Fred’s. On July 4, police received reports of four separate vehicle break-ins, all within a mile of each other, Earls said. Two were at residences on Chippewa Street, while two were on Becker Street.

In all cases, the thefts were “relatively small items taken out of the vehicle,” he said.

It’s the same story every time — one or more suspects goes looking for easy takings. Unlocked vehicles make a criminal’s job easy.

“It appears like the vehicles that they hit, they were going and just checking vehicles,” Earls said. “The ones that were unlocked, they went through and the ones that were locked, they bypassed. We encouraged everyone to lock their vehicles.”

Locking doors and removing valuables from vehicles is the best way to deter these criminals. Calling Crimestoppers if you have info on the burglaries will also help reduce future crimes.