Police are warning of three south Minneapolis incidents in which it appears the same man had exposed himself to girls or tried to talk with them.

The most recent happened about 6 p.m. Sunday as three girls, ages 10 to 12, were walking near E. 37th Street and 18th Avenue South. A man drove up, and the girls saw that he was naked inside his car. They ran home and he drove off.

At 8:20 a.m. Oct. 3, a man exposed himself to a 16-year-old girl at E. 32nd Street and Bloomington Avenue. And a couple of months earlier, another man with a similar description tried to talk with two girls, ages 11 and 14, as they walked near E. 25th Street and 13th Avenue South.

The suspect is described as white, 18 to 30 years old, with brown hair. In one incident, he wore a black knit cap. In two of the cases, the car was described as a black, four-door Nissan Altima.

Precinct officers are giving special attention as they keep an eye out for the suspect, and investigators are looking into the incidents.

Police say parents should talk with their kids about personal safety, with these helpful tips:

• Call 911 immediately if you see anyone acting suspiciously.

• Stay alert to your surroundings, paying attention to who is ahead and behind you. Don't let cellphones and iPods distract you, so your guard is down.

• If you think someone is following you, switch directions and walk to a place where there are other people.

• If possible, travel in pairs or groups, not alone. Be wary of isolated spots when you're on the street.

• Yell or scream or make other noises if confronted by a potential attacker.

• If attacked, do what you need to do to survive.

• Tell responding officers if the suspect handled or dropped something, including a cigarette butt, pop can or food wrapper.

If you have questions, contact Crime Prevention Specialists Don Greeley for the Midtown Phillips neighbood at 612-673-3482 and Karen Notsch for the Powderhown neighborhood, 612-673-2856. They cab be e-mailed at donald.greeley@minneapolismn.gov; or karen.notsch@minneapolismn.gov.

Joy Powell • 612-673-7750