BERKELEY -- City officials are giving out free steering-wheel locks to some car owners in hopes of curbing car thefts.

"Hopefully, people will realize Berkeley is not an attractive place to steal a car," said Mayor Tom Bates.

About 1,300 cars were stolen in Berkeley last year, a rate comparable to bigger cities like Oakland and Richmond, said Berkeley police spokesman Officer Ed Galvan.

Thieves seem to be mostly interested in a free ride; about 93 percent of cars are recovered in a week or two with an empty gas tank, Galvan said.

The thieves' cars of choice are older Toyotas and Hondas because they're easy to break into and drive, he said.

Police gave away 250 steel locks known as The Club on National Night Out, Aug. 1. They plan to give away 500 more through a lottery and distribute another 250 through neighborhood crime-watch programs.

Police are also running car theft sting operations and are working on setting up a system under which residents can buy LoJack car tracking systems at a discount.