Holiday Safety Tips, Shoplifting, Auto Theft

"The El Paso Police Department would like to suggest the following holiday safety tips during the upcoming Christmas season:

Dress comfortably.
Lock your house when leaving.
Take a companion with you.
If shopping at night, park in a well lit area.
Use your credit card, carry as little cash as possible.
Don’t overload, you’ll expose yourself to theft.
When walking toward vehicle, have keys ready in hand.
Look inside vehicle prior to entering, front and back.
If you see any suspicious activity anywhere report it to security/police.
DO NOT LEAVE ITEMS OF VALUE EXPOSED, PLACE THEM IN THE TRUNK.

Merchants can avoid thefts/robberies during the Christmas Holidays by doing the following:

Have adequate staffing.
Legible signs/pricing will give you less distractions and explanations during peak hours.
Have security/loss prevention measures present.
If theft occurs, DO NOT GET IN THE WAY, let security/loss prevention handle the situation.
If no security, be a good witness, and get physical description, male/female, white/black, height/weight, clothing description, and vehicle description, if involved with direction of travel.
Call police for assistance, 9-1-1.

AUTO THEFT PREVENTION TIPS

Take Your Keys. 50% of stolen vehicles in Texas have the keys in them.
Lock your car. 75% of stolen vehicles in Texas are unlocked.
Park in well-lighted areas.
Place valuables out of sight.
Use anti-theft devices such as alarms, ignition kill switches, locking devices for the steering wheel, or brake pedal.

TOP 5 STOLEN VEHICLES:
FORD F150

CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

FORD F250

GMC SIERRA

CHEVROLET TAHOE

Also register in the Texas H.E.A.T. Program (Help End Auto Theft).
By registering in the H.E.A.T. Program ,the owner of a vehicle gives Law Enforcement officers in the State of Texas permission to stop their vehicle between the hours of 1:00AM and 5:00AM to verify the ownership. Anytime the vehicle is crossing from Texas into Mexico, and law enforcement officers are present, the vehicle may be stopped to verify the owner knows it is going into Mexico.

Thank you.

Officer H. Slack #2106, CPO"