Don’t Let a Theft Steal your Holiday Joy, Police Caution

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday to spend time with family and friends. It is also one of the best times of year to shop and pack your car with those special deals. Thieves know this too! Please keep the following safety tips in mind this weekend and through the Christmas season:

Don’t place valuables in plain site in your vehicle and leave them unattended while you do more shopping.

If you place items in your trunk, look around to see if anyone suspicious loitering in the parking lot or hanging out in front of a store. If so, don’t ignore your instincts. Alert law enforcement.

Keep a firm hold of your purse, packages, and phone to prevent someone from running up behind you and pulling these items out of your grasp. Also don’t leave them unattended in a shopping cart.

Do not leave values in your car for several hours in front of a residence or overnight. This is a risky convenience that could result in a theft. Thieves don’t care if they can’t tell for certain what the item is. If it’s in sight, it “might” be worthy their effort to steal.

Park in well light areas. Vehicles in parking garages can be easy targets, especially if you purchase items like electronics and leave them in your car while you go to grab a coffee or bite to eat.

If dining at an outside table or counter, don’t place your phone or valuables on the table where they can be easily grabbed by a thief.

Be mindful of your credit cards and wallet during transactions.

Shop in pairs or groups and keep an eye out for each other.

To help deter these crimes of opportunity during the holiday weekends, the Pasadena Police uniform volunteers are patrolling numerous shopping centers throughout the city. They will be handing out crime prevention flyers and they are an extra set of eyes to recognize suspicious activity. Say hello to a volunteer and learn more about general public safety tips.

REMEMBER: Have your local law enforcement’s non-emergency number already stored in your phone. Pasadena PD is 626-744-4241.

And as always, See Something, Say Something. Together we make our community safe.

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