Crime tips to stop a Grinch

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere you go … toys in every store.

But the prettiest sight to see — if you’re a thief — is not the holly that will be, but the packages in the back of your Camry. Or Humvee. Or whatever you drive.

“What we’re trying to do is get to people before (crime) gets to them,” Eugene police spokeswoman Melinda McLaughlin said.

More than 1,780 burglaries were reported in Eugene in 2009, and almost 1,000 vehicle break-ins, according to police. But this is the time of year when crime statistics rise, starting with Thanksgiving weekend, and right on through Christmas as thieves target shopping center parking lots and empty homes, McLaughlin said.

With that in mind, the Eugene Police Department offers these tips to reduce the chances of being victimized:

Always lock your vehicle doors and windows.

Never leave a garage door opener in your car. Doing so can lead to being victimized twice. Thieves who find electronic garage openers in cars often use the devices to gain easy entry to victims’ homes and steal more property.

Don’t leave valuables or gifts in view. This means not only obvious things such as wallets, purses, cameras, leather jackets, CD players, etc., but also store bags, backpacks or gift-wrapped boxes that might hold them. The best option is to never leave anything of value in a vehicle. If you must leave valuables in the car, use the trunk or put them under the seat or cover the items with a floor mat or blanket.

Don’t leave identification, checks, credit cards or store receipts in your vehicle. Car break-ins are a gold mine for identity theft. If shopping at multiple stores, it’s a good idea to place your purchases in the trunk but keep the receipts with you, not in the bag, to prevent both identity theft and easy returns for cash.

Keep your home secured. Whether leaving for an hour of shopping or a week of vacation, make sure all the doors and windows in your home are securely locked. The most commonly unsecured windows are in the bathroom and kitchen. Never leave an extra key beneath the mat, over the door frame or under a convenient rock. Any place you can think of, crooks can think of, too. If you’re leaving town, give the key to a trusted contact who will look in on your house while you are gone.

Don’t advertise your vacation plans. It’s risky to change your answering machine message to say you’re on vacation or allow your home to look unoccupied while you’re away. Share your vacation information on a “need-to-know” basis.

Try to make your home look occupied while you’re away. You can set up timers to turn lamps on and off in different rooms at different times, and even put a TV or radio (tuned to a talk channel) on a timer to simulate human voices and presence. Turning your telephone ringer off or down will avoid having your absence advertised by long, loud ringing. Ask the postal service and newspaper to hold your deliveries until your return, unless someone is picking them up for you every day.

Enlist a vacation helper. Your most effective step is to arrange for a trusted relative, friend or neighbor to check your home on a daily basis while you are gone. They can help with tasks such as picking up mail and newspapers so they don’t pile up, taking care of pets, moving cars or parking a spare car in the driveway, turning on lights that aren’t on timers, and opening and closing curtains.

Request extra patrols while you’re away. The Seniors on Patrol are volunteers who act as extra eyes and ears for the Eugene Police Department. Depending upon the length of time you will be away, they can be asked to provide additional patrols around your home while you are gone. It’s important to note that a house check pursuant to this program does not guarantee the safety or security of the property. Call 682-5642 for more information.

Create a home inventory and a gift inventory. Without a written and/or photo inventory of your valuable property, you may have no way to identify it to police in the event it is stolen or recovered. Your inventory should list each item’s make, model, size, type and serial number, if any, in its written description. Photo or video records can also be very helpful. Once your home inventory is complete, make a copy and store it in a safe place such as a safety deposit box. Now you have a complete, accurate, and useful record of your property if and when you need to file a police report or insurance claim. Don’t forget to update it for major purchases. You can make a separate inventory of expensive holiday gift purchases to put in a safe place until the holidays are over, in case your home is burglarized and the gifts stolen.

Personal safety first. If you return home to find your residence has been broken into, don’t go in. The criminals may still be inside. Go to a neighbor’s house and call police.