The holiday season is here, and the CID remains committed to reducing crime in the district. This year, we are adding pandemic health safety to our yearly holiday shopping safety. Here are several tips to keep you safe this season:
COVID-19 Safety
- Wear a mask in public settings
- Practice adequate social distancing
- Frequent handwashing
- Feel sick? Stay home.
Click here for the most recent testing and quarantine guidelines when exposed to or have symptoms of COVID-19.
Holiday Shopping Safety
- Park in a well-lit area as close to your destination as possible. Shopping alone? Ask mall security officers for an escort to your car!
- Look for security cameras and try to park near them.
- Choose shopping destinations with regular mall security patrols and visible surveillance cameras. These provide an added layer of security for you and a deterrent to criminals.
- If you are carrying a wallet, keep it in a front pocket.
- Place any purses, valuables, or packages in the trunk of your vehicle prior to parking in a parking lot.
- Only use restrooms located in well-trafficked areas, such as a food court. Avoid using restrooms in the back area of a mall or department store.
- Be sure to walk in well-lit, highly traveled streets, even during daytime hours. Avoid shortcuts through parking lots or alleys.
- If walking on a sidewalk near a street, always walk facing the traffic to avoid being surprised by someone in a vehicle.
- Avoid overloading yourself with packages or distractions. Stay alert while walking to or from your car by avoiding talking on your cell phone or listening to music with headphones.
- Program 9-1-1 into the direct dial feature of your cell phone.
- Change your walking routine by planning different routes and take note of “safe places” you could go should something happen.
