What many believe to be the “official” holiday shopping season starts this Friday. With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday upon us, it is a good time to take a minute and review some safety and prevention tips.
Have a Safe & Happy Holidays! Sgt. Parks, Sgt. Bellis, Ofc. Santiago, Ofc. Kersey & Lt. Jackson.
While Out & About:
– Be alert, aware and trust your instincts. If a situation does not feel right, pull to another part of a parking lot or walk back into a store.
– Beware of “looking” unaware by talking/texting on your phone, digging in bags or sitting parked in your vehicle after arriving or before leaving. Predators are looking for targets that seem to not be paying attention.
– Park in well-lit, populated areas.
– Place packages and bags out of view in your vehicle, either in the trunk or under a cargo shade.
– If you return to your vehicle to unload items with the intent to return shopping, move your vehicle.
Package Theft:
– Have packages shipped to your office or work location or to the home of a friend or relative who is home during the day.
– Request that a signature be required to deliver the package.
– Use the services offered by various shipping companies that allow for tracking and rerouting packages.
– Track packages and ask a trusted neighbor to look out and take the packages in when they arrive.
– When traveling, make sure to ask a family member, friend or neighbor to check for packages at your home. You may have received a gift delivery you were not expecting.
– If you observe people you do not recognize on a neighbor’s property, pay attention and if it appears they are removing packages, call police immediately and provide a detailed description of the person and direction of travel and description of a vehicle if present.
While At Home:
– Secure your home! Make sure doors and windows are locked even when you are only taking a short walk, going to dinner or inside your home.
– If you have a burglar alarm, use it every time you leave and when your family is in for the evening.
– Acknowledge knocks on your door that you are not expecting by speaking through the door or a window. It is a common tactic for burglars to knock to confirm nobody is home before they break-in.
– If you are headed out of town, ask a neighbor to park one of their cars in your driveway and submit an “Out of Town House Check” through the SeeClickFix App, online or by calling the police department non-emergency number at 404/373-6551.
