Holiday Safety
Grant Park Neighborhood Watch
Happy holidays to everyone. A quick reminder about taking some extra precautions as we enter the last weekend of the holiday shopping season. This time of year crooks are looking to take advantage of the additional opportunities they are provided by busy shoppers.
Automobiles:
Keep your car empty (as you always should). This time of year crooks know people will have all kinds of goodies in their car, and the best part is most of this stuff will be brand new and still in the box (and maybe with a gift receipt too!). Since most stores have liberal return policies during the holidays, it is easier to cash in stolen merchandise. When stopping off for lunch while out shopping, or running from store to store, or when you get home and just feel too tired to empty out the car, make sure you keep your seats empty. If you have to make stops keep everything in the trunk - and put it there before you get to your next destination. A trunk is easier and less conspicuous to pry open then a passenger door, but criminals are less likely to randomly open a trunk unless they know something is in there.
Home:
Decorations and a tree in the front window are a calling card that you have all kinds of shinny new things in your house. It is suggested to keep all those things from under your tree till Christmas Eve/Morning so if the crooks take a closer look at your tree they will see nothing under it and move on. If that is not possible, make sure you Neighborhood Watch friends on your block know when you will be out of town and can keep any eye on things. This time of year it is harder for neighbors to tell what is out of the ordinary since many of us will have visitors, be off from work, or be going on vacation. If you have an alarm, use it and make sure you lock your doors no matter how long you are going to be gone! Also once your new shinny things are opened, try not to leave a mound of boxes out for the trash. Only put boxes out on pickup morning, try to beak down to fit into your bins, and if you cannot fit it all in one week, put a little in each week till it is gone.
Yourself:
Keep yourself safe - pick pockets, purse snatchers, etc will all be on the prowl looking for that unsuspecting shopper who has their hands full, or is to focused on the shopping they are doing.
Scams:
Every year there is some story about how crooks take advantage of people's giving spirit this time of year. If you are out and about and somebody says they are collecting for a charity and you really want to give, ask how you can donate online or through the mail. If they won't tell you, they are probably not legit (same goes for home solicitors, and not just at the holidays). Stick to the established, well known charities that are out collecting. Also be leery of buying that gift you cannot find in the stores anymore from Craigslist or eBay; if buying in person always agree to meet in a public place (police or fire station parking lots come highly recommended) and make sure you see the actual item (not just the box) and turn it on if possible before purchasing. Take down the license plate and keep the contact information of the seller too, incase you find out later you got scammed.
For most of us the holidays will go off without any issues, but it never hurts to be a little more precautious. I look forward to a GPNW meeting very soon.