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Friday, September 22, 2023
The Southlake Police Department would like to remind residents to be vigilant about locking their car doors when at home or out shopping, especially during the holiday season.
Recently, police have responded to more than a half-dozen vehicle burglary incidents. Three of them occurred in the north parking lot of the Hilton Hotel and four of them occurred in neighborhoods. The neighborhoods where thieves struck included: Montrose, San Saba, Berkshire, and Canyon Lake.
As you know, the holidays are one of the most active times of the year for thieves to strike, especially when it comes to leaving valuables inside vehicles. It’s important to follow the Hide, Lock Take guidelines. Hide your things, Lock your car, and take your keys.
Did you know that in Texas, a vehicle is burglarized every 2 ½ minutes and a vehicle is stolen every 5 minutes? Those statistics are staggering and should also serve as a good reminder to follow the Hide, Lock, Take program.
Vehicle burglaries can occur in your neighborhood, at daycares, schools, parks and shopping centers. The thieves target drivers who leave their cars running or who leave purses and other valuables inside their vehicle while they make a quick stop.
Citizens should always lock their car and take purses and wallets with them even if they only plan to be out of their vehicle for a few minutes. That’s all the time it takes for thieves to strike and steal your cash and credit cards and victimize you again later by making fraudulent charges to those credit cards.
Remember to follow the “HIDE, LOCK, TAKE” guidelines to help keep you and your valuables safe. Lock your car, take your keys and hide your belongings.
A recent spike in vehicle burglaries is prompting the Southlake Police Department to send out another reminder to citizens to follow the Hide, Lock, Take guidelines. We want to help protect you from becoming an easy target for thieves. 
In the last ten days, officers have responded to 14 vehicle burglaries. Five have occurred at parks, daycares and other businesses and nine have occurred in neighborhoods to the north and south of the City.
In several cases, car doors were unlocked with valuables left inside. In other cases, car doors were locked but valuables were left in plain view prompting thieves to smash windows and grab purses and other items.
You may hear the words, “Hide, Lock, Take” a lot during the holidays but it’s important to follow these guidelines every day. Hide your things, Lock your car, and Take your Keys.
The Southlake Police Department is asking citizens to take a moment to grab your purse or other valuables and take them with you. Remember, it only takes seconds to become a victim of a vehicle burglary.
The holiday season is fast approaching and the Southlake Police Department is providing a few simple safety tips to help ensure that you and your family have a safe and happy shopping experience.
It’s no surprise that the Christmas shopping season is one of the peak times for criminal activity, and vehicle break-ins top the list. Police Officers have already responded to several reports of broken vehicle windows and stolen items near shopping areas and parking centers indicating that thieves are once again on the prowl.
As the Southlake Police Department prepares to kick off its Holidays Safety Initiative there are things that you can do to help avoid becoming a victim of crime. Number one – is to never leave valuables inside of your car. Remember to follow the Hide, Lock, Take guidelines. Hide your things, Lock your car and Take your keys.
Shoppers will notice a stepped up police presence at shopping centers throughout the City of Southlake. The Holiday Safety Initiative will also include a combined use of: police motorcycles, patrol officers, bike and foot patrols, Southlake Police Citizens on Patrol (COP’s), who serve us well as extra eyes and ears in watching for potential criminal activity. In addition, the mobile Sky Watch Tower will be placed in strategic locations throughout the City to discourage criminals. Police Chief James Brandon says, “Our goal is to provide a safe environment for our citizens and Holiday shoppers and to be as proactive as possible in reducing crime. Shoppers can assist us in our crime reduction efforts by being safety conscious and by following a few basic safety tips like Hide, Lock, Take. This one simple act can be a huge deterrent for thieves.” 
Moms and dad will be glad to know that as part of our annual Holiday Safety Initiative “The Grinch” will again be making scheduled appearances during the shopping season. (*Watch for those times to be posted on www.facebook.com/SouthlakePublicSafety.) “The Grinch” will be decked out in full costume greeting shoppers at Southlake Town Square and handing out public safety reminders. Not only do kids love getting their picture taken with “The Grinch” but he also serves as a great reminder to “not let a Grinch steal your Christmas!”
Additionally, the Southlake Police Department wants to remind everyone to report any suspicious activity to the Southlake Police Department. You can call the non-emergency number at 817-743-4522 or 911.
Lastly, traffic will be heavy during the holiday season so be prepared by allowing yourself plenty of time to park and remember to drive courteously. Don’t forget to look for the Hide, Lock, Take signs posted at shopping centers to help serve as a safety reminder and prevent a thief from robbing you of your Holiday spirit. For updates and information follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/SouthlakePublicSafety and Twitter at http://twitter.com/SouthlakeDPS
The Southlake Police Department’s Holiday Safety Initiative is kicking off next week to help keep residents and shoppers from becoming victims of theft or other crimes during the busiest shopping time of the year!
The Southlake Police Department will have additional officers patrolling Town Square and other shopping areas to watch for would-be thieves. The Holiday Safety Initiative will include a combined used of: police motorcycles, patrol officers, bike and foot patrols, DPS Southlake Citizens on Patrol (COP’s), and other volunteers who serve us well as extra eyes and ears for potential criminal activity. In addition, the mobile Sky Watch Tower will be placed in strategic locations throughout the City to discourage criminals. Assistant Police Chief James Brandon, who is in charge of overseeing the Holiday Safety Initiative says, “Our goal is to reduce crime and reduce the threat of crime and protect our citizens. We want ensure that everyone has a safe and happy Holiday.”
Southlake citizens can do their part by following several simple anti-theft and anti-crime tips: Think…HIDE, LOCK, TAKE. Hide your things, Lock your car, Take your keys. Many thieves are just waiting and watching for you to go from store to store and leave packages in your car… leaving them with an opportunity to rob you of your holiday spirit. Look for the HIDE, LOCK, TAKE signs in shopping areas as a helpful reminder. Also, report any suspicious activity to the Southlake Police Department. You can call the non-emergency number at 817-743-4522 or 911.
The safety initiative also includes the return of the “Santa-themed Grinch” with a
message; “Don’t let the Grinch Steal Your Christmas.” The costumed Grinch will greet families and kids in Town Square throughout the weekends at Town Square (Watch for times to be posted weekly on our Facebook page.) Kids love getting their picture taken with The Grinch but he will also serve as another important reminder to play it safe while shopping.
Vehicle burglaries increase during the Holiday season and that’s why this initiative is so important. Our COP’s volunteers will be distributing a Vehicle Report Card to shoppers. This brochure will help shoppers make their vehicle less attractive to thieves. Always remember to hide your valuables even if you are just making a quick stop into another store. It only takes seconds for you to become a victim.
Last year’s Holiday Safety Initiative helped reduce crime in the City during the peak shopping season. Let’s all do our part to help reduce theft and crime this year and make it a great Christmas!
The Southlake Police Department would like to send a special “Thank you” to employees with the Public Works Department for assisting us with displaying dozens of Hide, Lock, Take signs around Southlake Town Square. The signs are part of the police department’s Holiday Safety Initiative to help reduce vehicle burglaries. The program has a simple but valuable message. “Hide your things, Lock your vehicle and Take your keys.”
Our Community Initiatives Officer Renni Burt, along with several Southlake Police Officers, also met with local business owners and managers to make them aware of the program and ask for their assistance in reminding shoppers to follow the Hide, Lock, Take guidelines. Police Chief Stephen Mylett says, “Reducing thefts in the City of Southlake is a community effort and the police department is confident this proactive approach will make a positive difference.”
Vehicle burglaries can occur at any time but they typically increase during the holidays. Thieves are looking for any valuables left in plain view inside cars including: shopping bags from items that you just purchased to laptops and iPhones. “If a thief spies something they want, even if your car is locked, they will smash a window and take it. Our goal is to help our citizens and visitors to the City of Southlake avoid becoming victims of a crime,” added Chief Mylett. The Hide, Lock, Take signs will serve as an added reminder to shoppers and a great deterrent to thieves.
The Southlake Police Department has purchased one hundred of the Hide, Lock, Take signs with plans to put them in various shopping areas and other high traffic areas throughout the City including the local tennis court to help reduce thefts.
Remember, it takes only seconds for thieves to steal your valuables from inside your vehicle so take a few moments to Hide your things, Lock your car and Take your keys. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable Holiday shopping experience in the City of Southlake.