MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Police said they are investigating a large spike in the number of thefts of license plate stickers.

Video: Increased Trend In License Plate Sticker Thefts

Authorities in Murfreesboro said thieves are swiping registration stickers off of parked cars.

"These stickers are kind of expensive. They're almost $100, and it's pretty easy for people to go up and peel the stickers off," said Kyle Evans of the Murfreesboro Police Department.

Evans said it is happening several times a week in the Murfreesboro.

"If a police officer were to stop you and run your license plate number to see if it's expired, and you don't have the paperwork to prove the sticker is yours, the officer is going have some serious questions," said Evans.

There are a couple of things that drivers can do to better protect themselves against this kind of theft.

Keep the car registration in your glove compartment in order to quickly prove to police that the car tags are current.

When reregistering your vehicle, peel off the old sticker off before you apply the new one. The stickers stick a lot better to metal than to old stickers.

Police said that stealing the license plate stickers could result in a year in jail and hefty fines.