Police offer tips for safe shopping

Common sense is a good defense, officer says

Sunday, December 10, 2006

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer


HICKORY -- Danny Owens sits back in one of the chairs scattered through Valley Hills Mall, a large paper shopping bag resting on the ground to his right. His wife is still wandering around, looking for a few more gifts, which gives Owens the chance to relax.

Owens, 52, made the hour drive Wednesday from his Forest City home to do some holiday shopping at the Hickory mall and the dense complexes of stores lining U.S. 70 and Catawba Valley Boulevard.

He noticed a few security guards wandering around the dual-level mall, while Hickory police officers and the mall's security teams made rounds outside in marked cars.

"It makes you feel a little safer," Owens said. "Just their presence might make a thief think twice."

Owens joins a throng of shoppers who flood the mall and the surrounding stores searching for that perfect gift or hoping to get all of their holiday shopping done in one excursion.

They'll wander from store to store, often leaving fresh purchases in cars before heading to the next shop. Owens said he knows thieves could be keeping an eye on the parking lot and takes every precaution he can.

"We were at Best Buy before this, and I put everything in the trunk," he said.

If anything makes him uncomfortable - a lingering stranger or a dark corner - Owens said he'll pretend he's heading home. "I'll make a lap around the parking lot, repark and come back in," he said.

That's exactly what shoppers should be doing, said Hickory police officer Brandon Lackey.

"A lot of it is just common sense," Lackey said Thursday as he wove through the parking lot of the Hickory Ridge shopping complex, which houses Target, Best Buy and Old Navy.

"Don't leave stuff sitting out, and always try to put your packages and belongings out of sight."

As of Thursday, Hickory police had registered 473 car break-ins during 2006, 7 percent less than at the same time in 2005, when 507 larcenies from a vehicle were reported. Police didn't have a month-by-month record of break-ins but said more people at the malls increases the possibility for crime.

Lackey, a three-year Hickory police veteran, has been patrolling the area around Catawba Valley's largest shopping district for two months and says police presence is the best way to deter thieves, especially during the holiday shopping season.

"You just constantly look around, and if you see someone hanging out, you might say, `Hey, how are you doing? Everything OK?' " Lackey said as he watched a man cross the lot with a shopping cart loaded with packages.

A few minutes later, as he slowly passed through the mall's lot, Lackey noticed a woman holding her purse in her hand, letting it dangle by her side.

"See that?" he said. "Someone could just run by and grab that. She should hold it over her arm and in her fist."

But Lackey has more safety tips than how to carry a handbag.

He advises shoppers to keep their keys in their hands while they walk through the parking lot and to avoid carrying large bundles.

"Don't leave yourself without a defense," Lackey said. "You're trying to hold all these packages, get to your keys and open the trunk. You don't want to have to focus all your attention on that one goal."

He also encourages shoppers to know emergency contact numbers, to prepare a plan for tackling the maze of stores, and to know their surroundings by taking note of cars parked nearby and other shoppers walking through the lot.

Even with all the tips, Lackey said, simply taking a moment to think is one of the best defenses against theft.

"Just slow down," Lackey said. "I know it's the holiday season, and you want to get everything done, but things (can) go bad when it gets hectic."


Expert Advice

Park in well-lighted areas when shopping at night.

Don't leave packages or valuables in sight.

Avoid carrying a purse or wallet.

Locate your keys before walking out into the parking lot.

Shop with a friend or family member.

Avoid wearing expensive jewelry.

Keep a secure hold on your handbag and parcels, and avoid setting items on the roof of your car while you open the door.

Avoid parking next to windowless vans and cars with tinted windows.

Use ATMs inside a bank or mall and in a well-lighted location. Withdraw only the amount of cash you need.

Protect your PIN by shielding the ATM keypad.

Notify your credit card company immediately if your card is lost, stolen or misused.

Keep a record of all credit card numbers in a safe place at home.

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SOURCE: Hickory Police Department


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