‘Tis the season to be vigilant.
With the holiday season approaching, auto and home burglaries tend to spike and Pike County Sheriff’s Department officials are encouraging residents to be careful to avoid being targeted.
“What we always encourage to promote safe environment in the holidays is to be vigilant, be aware of your surroundings,” Sheriff Kenny Cotton said.
Cotton recommends keeping valuables hidden out of sight because “normally, people who attack, they try to take things that they can use right away.”
Even jewelry that might be worthless but looks expensive could be a target for break-ins.
Chief Investigator Chris Bell said he discourages people from posting on Facebook if they’re leaving town for the holidays.
“If you put your business on Facebook, saying you’re going out of town, everybody knows you’re going out of town and nobody’s going to be at your house,” he said. “That’s the perfect opportunity for a thief to know that you’re gone and nobody’s there to watch the house and they’re going to come break in.”
Because people tend to shop a lot around Christmastime, Bell said the serial numbers of electronics and weapons should be noted so detectives can track it if it’s reported stolen or missing.
“If we don’t have anything to track it by, then we’re just out there looking for a ghost,” Bell said.
Another trend that’s appearing on social media is people posting pictures of themselves opening new packages, said Chief Deputy Johnny Scott.
“We discourage that,” Scott said. “That’s putting all your business on social media because folks now see what you have and they know exactly where it is. Thieves shop just like we shop.”
Additionally, Scott said caution must be taken when shopping on sites such as eBay and Craigslist.
“With Craigslist and eBay, you’re buying directly from an individual, so be careful of things that sound too good to be true,” he said. “If it sounds too good to be true, you probably want to stay away from it.”
When buying from a private seller, Scott said it’s best to meet at a safe place such as a well-lit parking lot of a business or even the sheriff’s department.
“That way, if it’s someone meaning to do you some harm, they may not meet you here at the sheriff’s department or your local police department, so we encourage you to use those places,” he said.
Because online shopping is common around the holidays, packages should be intercepted to prevent theft, Bell said. Be at home to pick up the package, have it delivered to a work address or arrange to pick it up from UPS.
Scams are also prevalent during the holiday season and Cotton said he encourages people to call the sheriff’s department if they receive calls asking for money.
“It (the scam) attacks everybody,” he said. “I get calls sometimes that there’s a warrant at Pike County Sheriff’s Department for me and if I don’t pay it, I’ll be arrested. … If they’re asking for people to go to stores and buy blue dot cards, green dot cards or money cards, normally it’s a scam.”
Another safety tip Scott said he wants to emphasize is ensuring proper precautions are taken when hanging lights outside. Read instructions, use the correct power source, inspect extension cords and lighting, don’t connect too many lights together and avoid hanging lights in areas where water may come in contact.
“We’re beginning to get into fireworks season soon,” he said. “Be sure you’re not allowing someone underage to handle the fireworks and that you’re not playing with fireworks. Use them responsibly.”
Above all, if something looks bad, inform the local sheriff’s department.
“Crime is crime and holidays means more people, more money circulating and criminals take advantage of that, so just be safe,” Cotton said. “If something looks bad, just give us a call. It helps promote safety. We can’t be everywhere all the time, but we want to be where people think crime is being committed.”
