Thursday, November 9th 2023, 10:14 am
As the holidays come around, Oklahoma City Police see different crimes on the rise, like package thefts and car break-ins. Police Chief Wade Gourley says there are simple ways to protect yourself this season.
“As winter approaches, the holidays are coming so more packages and things get delivered to people's homes. So porch pirates become more of an issue,” Gourley said.
There are simply ways to protect yourself and your packages from these thefts.
“A lot of people have doorbell cameras, cameras on their homes. So those are always good. They help us identify people that are doing this,” Gourley said. “Oftentimes what happens is when someone is stealing from your home, they're stealing from a lot of others as well. It's not just a one time deal.”
Doorbell cameras are helpful to identify thieves, but they don’t prevent theft.
“I think the biggest thing is, is try to work with your neighbors, family members, if you can have somebody there when the deliveries are made, or try to time your deliveries in a certain time so that you'll be at home. So those things don't have to sit on your porch for a long time. That's really helpful,” Gourley said.
When it comes to holiday shopping, Gourley reminds people to not get too distracted.
“Big thing, be aware of your surroundings. Try to walk out with a group of people, you know, not just by yourself,” Gourley said.
He also is warning shoppers of car break-ins.
“A lot of times, people will put things in their car and not lock their car or leave that stuff visible. So it makes it a target for auto burglars as well,” Gourley said. “So we just tell people try to secure things in an area where it's not visible in your vehicle, whether it be a trunk or the back of your SUV covered up somewhere locked up.”
But porch pirates and car thefts are not the only problem.
“Also, we see in the downtown area, especially where you have vacant buildings, businesses and things that may be vacant. Homeless persons may be trying to break into those to stay warm,” Gourley said. “That oftentimes creates issues. I know for the fire department last year, I believe, they said that they had more fires in unoccupied structures than they had seen in previous years.”
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