Nationwide Locksmith

It’s the season when shoppers have their sights set on the perfect gift, so area law enforcement have a reminder: Would-be burglars and thieves may be eyeing that same merchandise.

And it’s the time of year when many of the 47,000-plus Aggies and thousands of Blinn College students head out of town for the winter break. Another suggestion from officers: Protect your property before you leave.

Monday night in College Station, for example, 13 attempted car burglaries unfolded at a business in the 3000 block of Longmire Drive. Nothing was stolen and no one has been arrested in connection with the crimes, but the incidents serve as indication that the taking-season has arrived.

Officer Jason James, spokesman for Bryan police, said home burglaries typically increase as people leave town. Vehicle burglaries, he said, increase as the shopping season begins and continue to rise into early January as people return from the holidays.

Simple steps can be taken to ensure residents’ property isn’t an easy target — chiefly, keeping valuables out of sight and making sure doors and windows are locked on homes and vehicles.

James pointed out that though a burglar might not break a car window to access merchandise in a crowded parking lot, opening an unlocked door is less conspicuous.

Caution should be exercised well after the gift-giving and into the clean-up process, said College Station police Lt. Rodney Sigler.

“If you get a 50-inch plasma TV for Christmas, you might want to break down that box and dispose of it,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re telling everyone on your street there’s a 50-inch TV inside your house.”

Taking televisions, electronics or other high-value items home for the holidays is another way officers said students can minimize the risk of becoming a victim of home or car burglary.

James said they encourage people to write down serial numbers of items they leave while on holiday and keep them outside the computer, just in case that gets stolen, too.

Police will be out on regular patrols during the holidays, but local agencies are asking neighbors to look out for one another.

“For those staying through the holiday breaks, please, please, call us if you see any suspicious activity,” Sigler said. “Because that’s how we most often catch people.”

Anyone wishing to report suspicious activity can call either 911, 361-3888 in Bryan or Brazos County or 764-3600 in College Station.

Officer Kristi Hosea, spokeswoman for the Texas A&M University Police Department, said anyone coming back to a home with broken windows or open doors should call police first.

“Don’t walk in, call 911 if you can tell someone’s broken in,” she said. “You’ll want to call police, file a report and let them check it out for you first.”

By MICHELLE CASADY
Published Wednesday, December 09, 2009 6:05 AM