SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Cold temperatures are here to stay in Siouxland and that’s a problem for car owners.

While many people like to warm up their cars in the morning, law enforcement officials said too many of these vehicles end up in the wrong hands.

The Sioux City Police Department (SCPD) has already dealt with 23 cases of stolen vehicles over the last 30 days and Community Policing Sergeant Tom Gill said he’s worried there’s still more to come.

“Every winter is kind of busy with car thefts for us,” he said. “What usually happens is someone goes out to start their car, leave it running in their driveway or out on the street and they come back thinking their vehicle is going to be warmed up and it’s gone.”

Gill said it’s important for Siouxlanders to take safety precautions and the easiest one is to remember to lock the car doors, but there’s also other things to do that make a car less appealing for thieves.

“If a thief sees an opportunity to take a purse out of a vehicle, they won’t hesitate to break a window out and take out that purse or whatever the item is inside the vehicle,” he said.

In these frigid temperatures, a car might not even start in the first place.

John Clancy owns Mac’s Auto Repair in Sioux City. He said cars experience a variety of issues in temperatures below zero.

“The electronics on them and the battery life, everything has a harder time in the colder weather,” he said.

Clancy said regular maintenance checks before winter are critical and people should make sure their tires, defroster, and windshield wipers are working before the weather gets worse.