Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

Ladies, we are all guilty of doing it. We tend to be quite oblivious when it comes to following safety procedures, especially around the holiday season. We go shopping by ourselves and some way or another, we are always distracted when we go to leave.

We are either texting someone, liking something on Facebook, or digging in our purse for our keys and we don’t realize the serious danger that we could be putting ourselves in.

This holiday season, please be aware of your surroundings! Especially when you are alone, or you are out at night. Perps are lurking at the opportunity so you better be looking to prevent it.

Here are some holiday shopping safety tips brought to you by the West Precinct Division. These all may sound pretty obvious, but honestly, how often do we actually follow them??

• Always lock your car when you get out of it and especially when you get BACK IN your car to leave.
• Shop in daylight or groups
• Park near an entrance
• Park under a light if possible
• Don’t park next to large vehicles or with dark tint
• Walk alertly and confidently
• Be cautious of people handing out fliers
• Place ID, money & credit card in the inside of  a jacket pocket
• Do not leave anything visible in your car
• If you put objects in the trunk, move your car to a new parking space
• Ask security to walk you out
• Keep your car keys in your hand
• If approached use car alarm to distract them
• Pay attention to your surroundings
• Have someone on your cell phone as you walk to your car
• If you have a van parked on the drivers side of you, walk around to the passenger side to get in. They can easily grab you and throw you in their van.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Please be careful this Holiday season and help us to spread the word by sharing these tips with your friends and family.