A dozen Richmond Hill residents awoke the morning of Dec. 15 to discover their automobiles had been broken into and ransacked, according to Richmond Hill Police Department Capt. Mike Albritton.

In addition, one car was stolen.

Albritton said all of the cases involved valuable items left inside the vehicles in plain sight. In many of the reported cases, the vehicles were unlocked.

For the locked vehicles, windows were busted. In the case of the stolen car, Albritton said a purse was left in plain sight with the keys in the purse.

RHPD Cpl. Susan Willis said the estimated times of the crimes were between 11:30 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. Monday. She said all the alleged crimes occurred on one side of town, near and in the Sterling Creek subdivision.

"They hit us pretty hard," Albritton said. "If nothing else, I hope this will serve as a wake-up call to this community that you should not leave valuables in plain sight in your vehicles in Richmond Hill."

Among the items stolen were ipods, lap tops, purses, a tool box, CDs and DVDs and a variety of electronic devices.

No arrests have been made as of yet, but the investigations are ongoing.

"This doesn’t just happen at night," warned Willis. "This can just as easily happen in broad daylight. For example, we’ve had many cases where purses were snatched when women have left them in the car while running inside a convenience store."

Willis said reports of theft are traditionally on the rise during the holiday season and, therefore, residents need to be extra cautious about leaving items inside their vehicles.

To report a crime call 911 or the crime tip line at 459-BUST.