Car break-ins in the township rose by 46 percent between 2005 and 2008, and this year are on pace to exceed last year's total of 454, according to Cherry Hill police.

Thieves have been active throughout the township, but particularly in and around shopping centers, said police spokesman Lt. William Kushina.

"There's more expensive electronics in cars these days, with the advent of satellite radio and GPS navigation systems. People leave this stuff in their cars, and a lot of these things aren't easily traceable," he said.

Police recently launched a "Lock It or Lose It" campaign to warn residents and visitors not only to lock their cars, but to remove electronic devices and other valuables.

In recent years, Cherry Hill has seen significant growth in its retail sector. Shoppers from around the region are attracted to the township of 70,000 residents.

"It's created what we call the 'retail gravity' theory. If there's more stores there, it attracts more people," said Carol Kaufman, a marketing professor at the Rutgers-Camden School of Business.

Nationally, car break-ins are down 1.4 percent since 2005, according to FBI crime statistics.

Cherry Hill spokesman Dan Keashen said he believed the affluence of the township's residents and shoppers made the community particularly attractive to criminals.

"Because you have a higher concentration of cars in parking lots, more [break-ins] are happening there," said Kushina. "But there's a lot that happens in front of your house and in your driveway."

Jackson Fu, manager of Imagine Audio, a car electronics and audio store in Cherry Hill, said he advises customers every day about the latest in car stereo systems and other high-end devices. While antitheft mechanisms on car stereos have become more advanced, and alarms are capable of alerting owners up to two miles away about a car break-in, he said, motorists are ultimately at the mercy of thieves.

"Recently I had a customer with an Acura Integra. Someone broke into it four times. In the end we put a full alarm system in," he said. "As long as a car has a window, you can break into it."