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How To Keep From Being Taken During The Season Of Giving

Lieutenant Jose L. Lopez Sr.

Commander/Detention Division

Hartford Police Department

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…well, except for that guy breaking into your car while you're shopping at the mall.

Christmas is the season for giving.  We spend much time buying presents for our friends and love ones.  Hopefully we are fortunate enough to be able to give something to the needy, but there are quite a few people who spend their time stealing.  They take whatever is left unattended in plain sight.

Protecting yourself from theft during the holiday season is not much different than the rest of the year.  The difference lies in the distractions that present themselves during the holiday season.  The extra bright lights, the hustle and bustle of shopping, the planning and the preparing are but a few of these distractions.

It is rarely one stop shopping in order to buy presents.  Visits to stores, shopping centers and malls make our vehicles the storage facility for our purchases as we continue on our festive holiday shopping spree.  During this season many vehicles are broken into for valuables left in plain view.  Although there is no guarantee that your car would not be a target, there are a few precautions that can be taken to minimize the temptation.

• Park in a well lit and well traveled area.
• Lock your vehicle.
• Place all of your packages in the trunk of your vehicle.
• If you have a station wagon or SUV, use the rear cover to cover your property.
• Keep other items, such as cell phones, lap tops and large CD or tape collections out of sight.
• If you are aware beforehand that your purchases will be more than you can store in the trunk, bring along a blanket (preferably the same color as your interior) to cover the items.
• Do not store purchases or valuables in your car if you feel that you are being watched. 
• Empty the car as soon as you get home.  Do not wait until the next day.

In the event that your car is broken into, call the police and report it.  Of course, the likelihood is that your property will not be recovered, but it is important to have the incident documented.  Hopefully you are covered by insurance, which will more than likely require a police report. 

It is important to remember that although the theft of your items may not be solved, by reporting the crime your incident can be accounted for in the crime statistics.  Every Friday morning the Hartford Police Department management team meets in what is called Comstat.  Although the Hartford Police Department has used Comstat for the last four years, Police Chief Patrick Harnett has enhanced the process through a better exchange of information and with attention being given to crime patterns as they are identified by the Crime Analysis Unit through the Crime View Mapping System.  

Most car break-ins are committed by the same person(s) in a small area during the same time period.  By reporting the incidents, these areas become identifiable and a proactive plan can be executed according to this pattern.  These operations normally result in the identification and arrest of these thieves.  

After reviewing reports I noted that a pattern had evolved in 1994 of car break-ins around the Hartford Hospital Area.  Working with Hartford Hospital Security a decoy vehicle was placed on the street.  As we walked away from the vehicle, the surveillance team observed an individual breaking into the vehicle and removing property.  We turned around and made the arrest.  The car break-ins in that area stopped for a long period of time.  Merely taking the time to report your incident will increase the likelihood of an arrest and enhance your odds of getting your property back.

Another place targeted by those who choose to take rather than give during the holidays is your home.  Aside from suitable doors and locks, proper lighting is very important.  Your home should always be well lit so that burglars can be easily seen attempting to enter.  Your Christmas lights should be placed on timers so that their being lit will not reveal whether or not you are away from home.

This is also a time to monitor your credit card activity to insure that you are the one making the purchases.  This is extremely important after the holidays when the bills arrive so that you can report any discrepancies you find early.  Be cautious about giving out your credit card number over the telephone or the internet.  Always insure that the companies you do business with are reputable and that you are on a secure web site. 

A simple way to safeguard your credit card would be to establish a debit card with a limited amount of funds available.  You would deposit the amount needed for your purchase thereby limiting the amount of money that you could lose before a theft is detected.

There are various companies that offer services to monitor your payments over the internet.  In this way you can do business with many different web sites, but only the one who has your credit card number is the payment service.

Remember that no bank or lending institution will call you to inquire about your passwords to your bank accounts.  Don’t be fooled by callers who are trying to access your savings or credit limit.  The banks and credit card companies that you do business with already have your personal information and there is no need for you to give it out over the telephone.  Safeguard your personal information such as passwords, account numbers and social security numbers. 

A sales pitch starting with a “Psst. Come here.” joined by a quick look around is an indicator that somebody has been or will be taken.  This somebody could be you.   When approached on the street with the promise of a price well below wholesale you can usually bet that the items are either broken or stolen.  As an example, you could be offered a new television set in a sealed box for merely pennies on the dollar of its retail worth and you may find that, after unsealing the box, the product is an old broken television or set of bricks and by then the seller is long gone.

In most instances it is obvious that the items are stolen and that your purchase will amount to:

• Your having committed a crime by being in possession of stolen property.  If the property is identified as stolen, you can be arrested.
• Your having promoted the continuation of these thefts and maybe next time it will be your family’s vehicle or home.
• Your being robbed after the thief realizes that you also make a good target since you have shown that you have money.

After the holidays a drive around most neighborhoods near trash day will tell you which house has a new large television set, stereo, or computer system.  Instead of leaving these tale-tell signs out on your curb, break down the boxes and lay them flat with the rest of the holiday garbage.

This season is one of joy and happiness. Using a few simple crime prevention techniques will minimize your chances of becoming a victim of crime during the holidays.

Along with the Hartford Police Department I would like to wish you and yours a very safe and happy holiday season with a prosperous year to come.

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