With holiday shopping in full swing, the EPPD would like to remind residents to place all purchases in your trunk before driving to another shopping destination.

Thieves have been known to patrol mall parking lots looking for people who drop shopping bags in their cars and then return to the mall. If you’re tired of carrying shopping bags, opt for a locker inside the mall.

Every year our officers respond to reports of tampers of vehicles from cars parked at restaurants, parks, daycares, schools and commercial parking lots. Thieves smash windows then take items such as shopping bags, backpacks, laptops and purses.

Officers call these “crimes of opportunity,” as thieves drive or walk through parking lots looking for cars containing visible items that may have value. If they see a bag, purse or backpack inside a car, they’ll smash the window and take it, without knowing what’s inside. Thieves would rather grab the bag and check the contents later. They tend to skip over cars where they can’t see anything.

Thieves also like to prey on people shopping in malls during busy times when shoppers may be more easily distracted. Never leave your purse, wallet or phone unattended in a shopping cart. Carry wallets and phones in your front pocket or a purse. Never hang your purse over the back of a chair at a restaurant.

If you are heading out of town for the holidays, be sure to use timers on lights, arrange for your mail and newspaper delivery to be put on hold and ask a neighbor to shovel your driveway or sidewalk – or at least drive their car up and down your driveway so it appears you are home.

If you do become a theft victim, call 911 as soon as possible to report it.