by Sergeant Jay Froboese
The holiday season is upon us. Time to get out there, do some shopping and begin checking off those holiday gift lists. Unfortunately, it is also a time when thefts from vehicles also go up because shoppers leave purchased goods in plain sight in their vehicles as they go from store to store.
Fortunately, the Murrieta Police Department will also be out there staffing extra dedicated patrols on bikes and in cars during the holiday season. The goal for the Safe Shopper Patrols will be to deter those that might be tempted to break into vehicles and steal purchased gifts. Officers will be out in force patrolling all the shopping centers from November 26, 2014 until about January 1, 2015 during the hours stores are open.
The Murrieta Police Department has several suggestions for shoppers during this holiday season.
- Be aware of your surroundings. When you are out shopping and enjoying your day, be aware of your surroundings. As you load your gifts and bags, know that potential thieves sometimes watch for those that load cars up with gifts, especially high value electronic gifts. The thief simply follows you to your next stop, and then steals from your car after you walk in to the next store.
- When you are out shopping, take the time to load all your gifts in the trunk of your car completely out of sight. Keep the interior of your car free of anything that might encourage a thief to break into the car. Even simple things like an ashtray full of change is enough to entice a thief to break into your car. Once in the car, they can access the entire passenger compartment, and in many cars, the trunk through a release.
- Try to park in well lit areas, lock your car, and roll your windows all the way up. Many times you will notice cameras mounted throughout the parking lot on light poles or building corners. Park near those and thieves may completely avoid areas in plain view of cameras.
- Do not leave purses in your shopping cart unattended. Keep your purse with you at all times. Getting distracted in a store for even a few seconds can result in your purse being taken. Also, in parking lots put your purse in your car before unloading gifts. Leaving it in your cart can lead to someone walking or driving by and taking your purse while you are distracted loading gifts.
The Murrieta Police Department wishes you and your families a very safe and happy holiday season. We appreciate all the support our community gives us throughout the year. This is an awesome community. We enjoy living here and consider it an honor to serve the citizens of Murrieta in our chosen profession of Law Enforcement. I welcome your questions and suggestions for future articles and can be contacted directly at the Murrieta Police Department at 951-461-6302 or jfroboese@murrieta.org.
