Burleson residents may want to take extra precautions keeping their valuables tucked away and out of sight to avoid having thieves shop through their car windows.
According to Burleson Police Department records, theft and shoplifting reports increase during November and December.
In November 2010, there were 80 thefts reported, the highest one month total that year. And in December 2010 there were 73 thefts.
Half of all thefts were reported as either shoplifting or theft from a motor vehicle.
BPD hasn’t released this November’s crime statistics, but Burleson has already seen an increase in thefts and burglaries this year.
According to most recent statistics, the city had 723 thefts reported, a 19.7 percent increase from this time last year.
Mayor Ken Shetter said many of the crimes include residential and construction site break-ins where criminals usually enter a site after it’s emptied.
He said many times criminals will knock on doors and if no one answers, they’ll kick the door down.
“They’ll then run in and grab whatever they can carry and make a quick exit,” he said.
BPD works to decrease the upward trend, but many of its methods are kept confidential, officials said.
Burleson police are aware of the possibility of increased criminal activity during the month and are warning residents to stay alert.
“Our city is not unique to this,” said Cindy Aaron, BPD commander. “These crimes are occurring throughout the Metroplex.”
Aaron said the department has taken extra enforcement actions to keep burglaries down.
The police department’s community resource officers put together a list of holiday shopping safety tips and distributed pamphlets throughout the city to inform residents.
Some of the tips ask residents to avoid wearing expensive jewelry, shop in pairs when possible, park in a well-lit place, lock vehicles and place anything of value in the trunk and to be aware of any suspicious people when leaving a store.
The tips also suggest locking car doors as soon as one enters the vehicle and immediately reporting any suspicious activity to police.
On the days after Christmas, the police department encourages residents to avoid leaving the boxes at the curb until just before 7 a.m. on trash and recycling collection day.
Aaron said she always wants to remind residents to call 911 in case of an emergency.
“Only call if it’s an emergency and if you need assistance,” she said.
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