Crime rates rise during the holidays

Dec. 22—The holiday season is known as a time of giving, but police report there's also an increase in those who are taking.

"The holiday season is always a difficult time for burglaries," said Bill Puett, the Buchanan County Sheriff. "One of the best things we can do is tell people to make sure that they break down boxes, that they don't put a bunch of stuff out at the curb and advertise that they have a whole bunch of new items in the home. Make sure someone is getting packages off the porch and that they're not leaving things out so it's obvious for people to come by there."

The holiday season is when most people fall victim to porch pirates. According to an annual report by Security.org, nationally, 49 million Americans have had at least one package stolen in the past 12 months.

Puett said while porch thefts are common as the holiday approaches, having things taken from inside homes ramps up after gifts are opened.

"Putting new electronic boxes out at the trash pickup site kind of advertises what you have in the house," Puett said.

In an attempt to reduce burglaries and theft, Puett said his deputies have increased patrols.

"Recently, we feel pretty good," Puett said. "We've been really aggressive with patrols. I don't want to jinx us but the guys are out there working hard and trying to keep everything at bay. We check suspicious vehicles. We always advocate that if a citizen sees something suspicious, it's much better to call about suspicious activity whether it's in the county or in the city, so we can send a deputy out or a police officer out and have them check it out. It's much better to find out what's false than to have somebody actually commit a crime."

The holiday season also is one of the busiest times for traveling. Puett reminds residents to be smart on social media to ensure people do not know a home is vacant.

"Don't share on social media that you are going to be gone or put up a bunch of pictures," Puett said. "Do that when you come back. Make sure that somebody is getting your mail. Make sure that the lights are on and that people are checking the house or that there's some activity around."

Being mindful of telling people your travel plans is another way to limit the risk of theft while your home sits empty.

"If you tell everyone you're going to be gone for 14 days, that pretty much sums it up that the house is unoccupied for a long period of time and gives people the opportunity to go commit those crimes," Puett said.

Holiday scams also have been an issue.

"The biggest thing we can say is don't give your personal information out," Puett said. "If somebody calls and says they're someone or a government agency, always check those things out. Usually, those are scams."

Verifying where you are making your purchases is another tip to avoid scams this holiday season.

"Make sure you're buying from reputable places online that have secure transactions (and) that you're not buying from somebody that will take your money and not give you what you're supposed to be getting," Puett said. "There's lots of folks that they want you to go buy gift cards to pay for something. That isn't usually a good sign. It's an indication that it's a scam."

Sara Rooney can be reached at sara.rooney@newspressnow.com.