On Thanksgiving evening, the Amarillo Police Department will start the yearly directed patrol effort called the Safe Shopper Project, or Holiday Patrol. Additional officers will be assigned to patrol parking lots or areas that may attract criminals looking for a chance to steal from vehicles or from shoppers. The Holiday Patrol will also be visible on streets with heavy traffic volume, and will be alert for drunk drivers, speeding, or any other violation that could endanger the public. The extra officers will be assigned through December 26th.
These officers are not assigned to regular duties of responding to calls, but are available for emergencies and crimes in progress in their areas. Their primary purpose is to search for criminal activity. The marked patrol units will be working in areas that have high retail traffic or that show a pattern of criminal activity. Your own simple precautions can protect you from many crimes. The Amarillo Police Department would like to remind you to avoid leaving belongings visible in the car. Simply locking car doors may deter some criminals, but that will not always protect your property. Thieves commonly break windows or damage locks to enter vehicles. Driver’s licenses and other documents taken when a purse or wallet is stolen are used quickly used in forgery and identity theft. About 20 cars were stolen in Amarillo last week. Auto theft investigators want to remind everyone that leaving a car running to warm up or leaving keys anywhere in a car are factors in 80% or more of local auto theft cases. You can also help by being alert for people on foot, on a bicycle, or in vehicles that seem to be prowling parking lots or looking into cars. If you see someone that you think is looking through cars for a chance to steal, get a description of them and their vehicle and call the police department at 378-3038.
The Amarillo Police Department wants everyone to have a safe, happy…and crime free holiday season.
