It’s the most wonderful time of the year — a time of parties, gifts and travel to spend Christmas with the family. But when it comes packing up and leaving town before or after the holiday, taking a few precautions can mean the difference between a happy or a horrible Christmas.

Local law enforcement sees an uptick in crime during the holidays each year, and it’s one that’s easily explained: desperation.

“As you get closer to the holiday, people are in desperate situations — you know, it’s a stressful time of the year. People don’t have money or their jobs don’t give them the financial leeway to provide for Christmas,” said Capt. William Chrismon, spokesman for the Washington Police Department.

Selling, pawning or trading ill-gotten goods could potentially provide the cash for gifts, which is why law enforcement encourages residents to take steps to avoid becoming victims of crime.

 

DON’T MAKE AN UNOCCUPIED HOME A TARGET

“Never make it look like no one’s home,” Chrismon said. “If you’re going to be away, have your newspaper stopped, have your mail stopped or have a neighbor pick it up.”

The Washington Police Department and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office both offer a service to residents: on request, an officer or deputy will do daily drive-bys of homes with out-of-town residents, just to make sure the property is unharmed.

But homeowners can use other methods to make it seem as if a home is occupied. Chrismon recommended leaving a TV or radio on, and encouraged the use of motion sensor lights that can be easily found at local hardware stores. Any would-be thief would think twice before breaking into a home that seems occupied because the front porch light came on, courtesy of motion sensor lights.

 

LOCK IT UP

“The most important thing is to make sure you always lock your doors — that includes your house, your car, your outbuilding,” Chrismon said.

He said it’s pretty common for people not to lock their cars, which can lead to crimes of opportunity. It’s much easier for a thief to open a car door than bust through a window. Most thefts happen in just this way, he said.

“Locking up your valuables is the first line of defense. … Don’t leave laptops, packages, Christmas presents laying on the back seat. Take it inside,” Chrismon said. “If we can take that temptation away, it lessens the chance of becoming a victim.”

Chrismon said it’s also sometimes difficult for people to remember what they left in their car that was stolen, so it’s better to get into the habit of removing all temptations and locking up.

 

DON’T ADVERTISE

Big presents come in big boxes, and those boxes are sometimes just what thieves are looking for. Electronics especially fall into this category, and residents would be wise to dispose of boxes in less obvious way.

“If you put two, 52-inch TV boxes on the curb, that’s an indication that there’s probably one inside,” Chrismon said. “Try to break down your big electronic boxes or haul them off.”

He also recommended that if they don’t haul them off to a waste facility, recipients of such gifts with big advertisement-laden boxes keep those boxes in the garage or elsewhere until the day of garbage pickup to avoid them sitting on the curb for days at a time.

It’s also a good idea not to leave expensive toys, such as bicycles, in the yard.

 

TAKE A PICTURE

Sometimes things get stolen. Sometimes those stolen items are recovered, but Chrismon said the recovery process is made a lot easier with certain information.

“When you have high end electronics and toys like that, it’s a good idea to take a picture of the serial number. That way you always have it. And it does help us in the process of trying to recover it,” Chrismon said.

This can be applied to jewelry, as well. Law enforcement recommends taking photos of jewelry, putting those photos on a thumb drive and putting it somewhere safe — but not necessarily in a safe. Small safes are likely to be stolen, too, he said.

 

BE A LITTLE UNSOCIAL

In the age of social media, it’s expected that vacationers post photos of their fabulous trips in real time. Chrismon recommends waiting to post photos of that tropical trip, simply to avoid notifying everyone that a home is currently unoccupied, and therefore a target.

“If you advertise that you’re not home, it might give people the idea, ‘I can go by their house,’” Chrismon said, adding that pictures posted after the fact are the better option. “Get back home and say, “Look where I went,’ not ‘where I’m at.’”

Make sure this holiday stays a happy one by being a proactive about theft. For more information about the security drive-by programs offered, call Washington Police Department at 252-946-1444 or the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office at 252-946-7111.