SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Police in South San Francisco said Thursday they are among Bay Area cities seeing a rise in smash-and-grab car burglaries, NBC11's Jean Elle reported.

"In the last three months, we've had about 89 vehicle burglaries in that time, which is a pretty significant increase from the same time frame of last year," said Detective Ken Chetcuti of the South San Francisco police.

Officer John Stankewicz said it can take as little as 13 seconds to smash a car window and steal a Global Positioning System device.

"We took a simple $4 or $5 device you can get in many stores, broke the window, opened the door, pulled the GPS unit and its mount right out of the car, and walked away," Stankewicz said.

Police said that electronic devices have become a favorite of crooks since they're small and valuable.

"Your iPod, your radar detector, your GPS unit, your cell phone, your laptop -- all those things contribute to an increase in smash-and-grab," said Michael Glazer of Allstate Insurance.

Police offered these tips at an event Thursday:

• Never leave anything valuable in your car.
• Always make sure your car is locked with the windows up.
• Park in well-lit areas.
• Always be aware of your surroundings.