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When Sue Haubrich goes to the gym at North Collier Regional Park, crime has never been on the top of her mind.

Unaware that the park has been the scene of a string of vehicle break-ins in late October and early November, Haubrich, 47, usually tries to park her Acura TSX at the end of a row and under a street light so it will be more visible.

She said she’s never really thought much of the threat that someone could smash in her windows and steal valuables.

“My purse is in there,” Haubrich said Thursday night. “Usually I leave it in the car and I cover it up.”

Bad move, said Lt. Andy Prisco of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

“In North Naples specifically ... our biggest problem here is conveyance burglaries,” Prisco said. “In the majority we have purses or some type of valuables left in plain view; a laptop computer, a purse, a shopping bag.”

As the 2008 holiday season quickly approaches, the Sheriff’s Office is expecting to see its usual increase in vehicle break-ins across the county. In an effort to head off the problem, the Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to lock up their vehicles and remove all valuables.

To really bring the point home, the Sheriff’s Office borrowed a large traffic sign from the Department of Transportation and programmed messages into it reminding drivers to lock up their vehicle and remove valuables. The sign is being hauled around the county and left at busy intersections.

During the holidays deputies also will be reminding shoppers of these precautions.

“That’s when most people visit the mall,” Prisco said. “That’s when a lot of bags are left in cars. ... The holiday shopping season is when you see the crimes happen.”

Prisco said there are a few safety tips residents should follow to avoid having their vehicle broken into. Besides locking up and not leaving valuables inside, Prisco said people should think twice about what they bring in the first place.

“When you leave your house only take what you need,” Prisco said. “Leave the rest at home.”

Keeping valuables in the trunk is a better option than leaving them on the seat or the floor, Prisco said, but trunks still can be broken into.

Prisco said he doesn’t know why some people continue to leave valuables in their vehicles.

“I’ve heard many different things in the community,” he said. “Some people think it’s a safe place to be here and have an attitude that it can’t happen to me.”

Haubrich has never had her vehicle broken into, but after learning about the recent burglaries at the park decided to head back to her car before going to the gym.

“I’m going to go put my purse in the trunk,” she said.