A park police officer had just finished warning our camera-lugging colleague, Jeff Wheeler, about thefts from cars at the Minnehaha Park parking lot when the man stepped to the other side of a car and found this example.

According to the patrolman, it's one of the city's worst crime spots. Park police have been leaving warning cards on unattended vehicles and telling drivers how to take precautions. Personal electronics are particularly inviting, police said.

They urge drivers to lock their valuables in the trunk before arriving at parks, not after parking. Locking doors and closing windows also are important. They urge people seeing suspicious individuals circling the lots to dial 911.