17 cars broken into

At least 17 cars were reported burglarized in Costa Mesa on Monday, an unusually high number that police said Wednesday serves as a reminder for people to take care of the valuables in their vehicles.

Police could not say how many were related so early in the investigations, but at least a few of them appeared to be, Sgt. Bryan Glass said.

A majority of the vehicle break-ins occurred on the east side of Costa Mesa, east of the 55 Freeway between 20th and 17th streets.

In three separate break-ins in the 1900 block of Rosemary Place, thieves smashed car windows, and stole gym bags and iPods found inside, Glass said.

Police said one of two vehicles reported burglarized in the 1900 block of Fullerton Avenue on Monday had its window smashed and a global positioning system stolen. GPS devices have been a hot item among thieves lately, police said.

Other areas of Costa Mesa were not spared from car break-ins either. There were two areas in the northern end of Costa Mesa, one in a residential complex on South Coast Drive and another on Fillmore Way north of Baker Street and east of Fairview Road.

Two vehicles were reported burglarized in the parking lot of the Christian Science Reading Room, 2880 E. Mesa Verde Drive, and another south of that in the 1500 block, according to police records.

“We want to remind the community to bring your items in with you. Most of the time these are crimes of opportunity,” Glass said.

If you cannot take your valuables inside with you for whatever reason, police urge you to keep them out of plain view.