Austin police say visitors to Lady Bird Lake should take extra steps to protect their vehicles.

Auto theft detectives say there have been several vehicle thefts from parking areas along or near the 1700 block of West Cesar Chavez Street in downtown Austin. The owners had hidden their keys in what they thought was a safe place, but police believe the thieves are watching.

Police say vehicle owners should:

-- Take their keys

-- Lock their cars

-- Park in well-lit areas

-- Never leave the engine running

-- Install protection devices, including an ignition kill switch, fuel kill switch, visible steering wheel lock, alarms and vehicle tracking.

Police say nearly 20 percent of all stolen vehicles had the keys in them, and half of all stolen vehicles were unlocked.