Holiday, winter safety advice issued by South Bend Police

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The South Bend Police Department issued safety tips for winter weather and the holidays.

Residents are advised to keep homes secure by checking for security weaknesses (e.g. locking doors and windows).

Another tip is to keep quiet about going on vacation by not posting to social media or the internet which could alert people to the fact that your home is unattended, police say.

SBPD says one of the biggest security risks -- your vehicle.

Capt. Anthony Bontrager says, "Motor vehicle thefts will increase now with the cold weather. That's mainly due to people turning their cars on to warm up in the morning with the keys in them and they walk out and they're gone."

South Bend Police have reported approximately 26 vehicle thefts in 2018 were due to driver's leaving the car running with the keys inside.