Theft of vehicles in unincorporated areas of St. Tammany has remained steady in the past six years, despite a slight surge last year and the state Insurance Commission calling the business booming.

Local numbers, released Friday by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, show an average of 250 vehicles stolen each year since 2002, with Cameros, Firebirds and heavy duty trucks such as Ford F250s topping the list.

Last year, 309 were stolen and as of June this year, 127 were reported stolen, on par with past averages, said Capt. George Bonnett, Sheriff Office spokesman. Of those, roughly 10 to 15 percent are recovered, Fred Oswald, Sheriff’s Office detective said.

“Auto theft is sometimes a fairly difficult case to solve,” Bonnett said. “Somebody may steal a vehicle in Slidell and within three or four minutes they are out of our jurisdiction and out of the state at a chop shop.”

To combat the issue, the National Insurance Crime Bureau designated July as National Vehicle Theft Protection Month, an effort to raise public awareness about car theft.

“Vehicle theft has become a huge business,” State Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said, adding every 26.4 seconds a car is stolen nationwide.

In Louisiana that number is somewhat smaller with 364 vehicles per 100,000 residents stolen last year, ranking the state 22nd in most vehicle thefts nationwide, according to Denise Cassano, director of Louisiana Automotive Theft and Insurance Fraud Authority, an office within the state Department of Insurance.

In February, one such business was dismantled by the Sheriff’s Office when investigators arrested four Slidell area family members who allegedly stole cars in New Orleans and brought them to St. Tammany to sell to unsuspecting buyers. Eleven vehicles, including trucks, motorcycles and camper trailers, were recovered during a search warrant after the family placed legitimate tags on salvaged vehicles resembling the make and models of stolen vehicles.

The majority of those vehicles were likely unlocked when stolen, Bonnett said.

“The number one thing to protect yourself is to lock your car,” he said. “It’s such a simple thing that nobody does it.”

According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, other preventative measures can help too, including:

• Closing windows completely.

• Never hide a second set of keys anywhere on or in your car.

• Never leave packages or personal items in plain view.

• Park with the wheels turned toward the curb, even in driveways or parking lots, making the vehicle difficult to tow.

• Always use your emergency brake when parking.

• Park in well light areas or attended lot.

• Keep your registration card in your purse or wallet, not in glove compartment.

• Activate any anti-theft device when leaving vehicle.

• Etch the vehicle identification number into your windshield.

In Slidell, those tips could often thwart two car theft trends that have become increasingly more frequent: Drunks losing their keys and private sellers parking and leaving cars on the sides of thoroughfares with a for sale sign in the window.

In Olde Towne, Slidell’s business and entertainment district, Slidell Police are routinely flooded with calls from bar hoppers who lost their keys on the streets and later find their cars stolen, said Slidell Police Department detective Jeffrey Theriot

“Somebody comes along and picks up the keys, then hits the keyless entry remote to find the car,” Theriot said, who closely works with Orleans and Jefferson parishes’ auto theft task units to solve 30 percent of the Slidell’s stolen car crimes. “This happens quite often.”

He also warned car sellers to be cautious when parking and leaving their cars on major thoroughfares such as Gause Boulevard, where cars are often stolen. In the parking lot of O’Henry’s restaurant, three such vehicles were stolen this month.

“That’s a pretty big deal for a town this size,” he said. “It’s a common trend here.”