BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The holiday season is here. People are out and about shopping for gifts, but those purchases you leave in the car could be an invitation for thieves.
"Criminals are usually opportunists and if they see those things they know people are carrying around large amounts of money or they know there's expensive things inside of vehicles, they're gonna take advantage of that," Capt. Tommy Champion with the Buffalo Police Department said.
Buffalo Police held a press conference Friday morning to get the word out about being extra cautious this time of year.
"We typically have an uptick of larcenies during those time periods," Capt. Champion said.
He said last year, in the City of Buffalo, there were 1280 vehicles stolen.
"And a lot of that was because of negligence on the part of the owner of the vehicle," he added.
We know leaving your keys inside your car put it at a greater risk of getting stolen, but what you may not know it may also lead to getting a fine.
"And they even give tickets out when they notice keys being left in the ignition," Capt. Champion said.
Even though it’s common sense, @BPDAlerts says it still happens.
— Kristen Mirand (@kristen_mirand) December 9, 2022
With the holiday season here, BPD is reminding you to not leave presents or valuables out in the open in your car 🛍️ Police say they also see an uptick in car thefts this time of year. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/rujWTD5YH0
Buffalo Police later spent the afternoon sharing their annual car theft awareness campaign by stopping into shopping centers to get businesses on board with the message. One by one, officers went to storefronts asking employees to hang up their campaign flyer in order to get the word out to customers.
Capt. Champion also explained what to do and not to do with newly purchased items in your car. He said leaving gifts in the front seat makes it easier for people to see and eventually take steal.
"You wanna store all of our gifts and any valuables in the back seat of the car, anywhere they can't be seen," he said.
Even though the advice is common sense, police said this still happens a lot. Whether it is the holiday season or any time of year, they recommend you stay vigilant.
