With the increasing price of fuel, law enforcement encourages residents to take precautions to protect themselves against theft of gas from their vehicles.

"Although we have not yet seen an uptick in theft of fuel locally, the potential is certainly something we should all be aware of," according to Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves.

"A relatively low cost prevention measure - especially when compared to the value of a tank of fuel - is to replace the gas cap on vehicles with one that locks.  These can usually be purchased for less than $20.00."

Additional deterrents suggested by Sheriff Groves includes:

• Turn on porch / yard lights at night and park your vehicle in the lit area
• Park in a location where home / business security cameras can view and record the vehicle
• If in a busy parking lot or shopping center, park away from other vehicles.  Thieves will typically use other vehicles to block the view of them while they syphon fuel out of a tank.

"Finally, I encourage farmers and businesses with bulk fuel tanks to consider securing them with a heavy-duty lock and for anyone who sees suspicious activity in their neighborhoods to call law enforcement to have it checked into," concluded Sheriff Groves.