Sacred Heart School Principal Jane Daigle said that several times this school year, parents who left their cars to pick up children or run into the office have returned to find purses and other valuables missing, in addition to several broken windows.

Four such incidents on Feb. 26 were reported to the sheriff's department. Someone broke three of the cars' passenger-side windows to steal purses left on floorboards or car seat. The other car was unlocked. The purses contained valuables such as cash, credit cards, checks, expensive sunglasses, cellular phones and personal identification.

Daigle said the break-ins have all occurred in the daytime, when students, staff and parents are in school and church facilities on Saratoga Avenue. She said she had heard speculation that the burglar or burglars might be "professional" due to the timing and swiftness of the break-ins.

"It happens so quickly," she said. "They're definitely watching and they're very selective about which cars they hit."

Sgt. Bill Tait of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said police officers were "actively looking into the case." He refuted the idea that someone police would refer to as a professional is committing the crimes.

"We have juveniles doing that all the time," Tait said. "Professionals don't usually break into cars—they're usually after more money."

Regardless of who is burglarizing the cars, Daigle said that parents are changing their assumption that the school is a safe place, even though similar break-ins have occurred in the past.

"We have parents who come into the office now carrying their purses, where before they would just leave them," she said. "We're trying to be more vigilant about being careful."

And Sgt. Tait said there's one easy way to do that.

"Don't leave any valuables in your car," he said. "We've had people leaving laptops, cell phones, purses ... I would leave nothing of value in a car."