COLLEYVILLE - One North Texas city hopes it may have found the latest in anti-theft technology in the form of a few simple words, "Stop Thief!" The Colleyville Police Department has turned to signs in their battle against car thieves.

Monday, the department began passing out the signs, which read "Stop Thief!" in red. The yellow sign hangs from the driver's rearview mirror and also states that there are no "valuables, money, computers, purses or briefcases in this vehicle."

While Chief Tommy Ingram said he knows it's a different approach, he said it's also a proven one. Ingram said if the sign doesn't actually discourage the thieves themselves, it will at least likely serve as a reminder for drivers to put away their things.

"Most thieves are not looking for the placards themselves," he said when asked if thieves may target cars without the cards. "They typically are walking along a parking lot checking handles of a car to see which car is open."

The program started as a test in a Charlotte, North Carolina neighborhood. In one month, it virtually eliminated car break-ins at one of the city's worst-hit businesses. From there, it spread to Portland, Oregon and now Colleyville.

The Colleyville department said it has seen a 15 percent increase in car burglaries last year.

"I came across this at a conference and thought what a great idea to move into the Dallas-Fort Worth area," Ingram said.

Pat Adams, a victim of a car thief, said he knew something was wrong as soon as he got close to his car and saw there was glass everywhere.

"One of my windows was broken, my stereo, a bunch of my CDs and also a guitar of mine were stolen from my car," he said.

He said he is willing to try anything to stop it from happening to him again, including the "Stop Thief" program.

For those who would like a sign, they can be picked up at the Colleyville Police Department. Volunteers will also be handing them out around town during the weekend.