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E-mail This StoryThe official start of the shopping season begins Friday, and police say public alertness should come with it.
Local police urge residents to take safety precautions when shopping this year. Atop the list of tips is simply locking car doors and hiding the gifts that are in your vehicle.
“We always see an increase in car burglaries this time of year,” said Lt. Wess Griffin of the Flower Mound Police Department. “People will buy hundreds of dollars in gifts and keep those presents in the car where they’re visible while they go shopping somewhere else. The bad guys know that when they look into a car, they can easily break in and steal a couple hundred dollars worth of electronics.”
Police say gifts aren’t the only items that should be hidden. Backpacks, gym bags, GPS units, MP3 players and laptops are other items that are often stolen out of cars.
Other tips include timely packing. Police encourage shoppers to load their trunk only when they are about to drive away from the parking lot and not before returning inside to do more shopping.
Police also urge shoppers to be mindful of their surroundings and to have their keys in hand and ready to enter the car upon approaching it.
There were 141 car burglaries in Flower Mound the entire year of 2007.
Griffin said the police department will be increasing its patrol unit from Friday through Christmas Day, as well as bumping up its citizen patrol officer presence. It will also begin manning its observation tower in high-traffic areas.
In Lewisville, Cpt. Kevin Deaver said the police department will have extra officers assigned to heavy shopping areas and will also use a watch tower.
Deaver reiterated the need to lock doors and hide valuables but also stressed the importance of females keeping an eye on their purses.
“Do not leave purses in shopping carts,” Deaver said. “It only takes a second for someone to grab the purse while the shopper is distracted.”
Griffin said this is a good time for people to remember their safety routine.
“We have fliers that our citizens on patrol and our officers will be handing out as a reminder to lock your doors and hide your valuables,” Griffin said. “There are still people who don’t heed the warning. And, when their items are stolen, all their shopping was for nothing.”
