With the holidays, comes the expected increase in car break-ins, especially at malls and shopping centers.
The holiday season kicked off with a parade inside San Jose’s Eastridge Mall Friday. With Santa as the grand marshal, the smiles were everywhere during the official tree lighting.
While the holidays bring out more of those smiles, police warn all it takes is a few second for those smiles to disappear.
“The last thing you need is you’re doing your Christmas shopping and you put all your packages in your car and you come back and it’s all gone. Therefore, Christmas is damaged or ruined,” said security expert Rob Millard.
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Millard, who is also a retired San Jose police lieutenant, said the crooks are out there.
“Let’s face it, shiny packages, bags of goods, your backpack, those things are primary targets for criminals now,” he said.
Security is out in force at Bay Area malls, both inside and out.
Sunnyvale police said that their burglary suppression detail will be out in force, looking for thieves.
Also, San Jose police produced a video with tips. The video warns people not to have a false sense of security if they place their packages in their trunk.
Other tips include the following:
- Closing windows and sunroofs.
- Park in a well-lit area.
- Lock your car.
- Don’t leave your garage opener in plain view.
- Don’t leave items with personal information.
