Burglars stole from the cars of four Evanston residents last week, prompting police to issue a memo with theft prevention tips Monday.

The thieves took items ranging from golf clubs to briefcases to GPS devices, Evanston Police Department Cmdr. Tom Guenthersaid. They entered the cars by breaking the driver’s side windows. Police are not sure if the burglaries are related.

In response to the string of burglaries, Guenther released a community alert explaining how to prevent car break-ins. The alert recommended residents avoid leaving valuable items in their cars. If the possessions must be kept inside, the alert recommended hiding them before parking-though covering valuable items with blankets is more likely to attract attention than prevent burglary, Guenther said.

He also recommended residents write their driver’s license number on all their valuable items in case they are stolen. This allows police to track down the owners of recovered items, he said.

But items stolen from cars usually are not recovered, he said.

– REBECCA COHEN