MIAMI (WSVN) - Miami-Dade Police are preparing for the holidays with a crime crackdown.
“A lot of the times, criminals use the term car hopping, and all they’re doing is walking through parking lots,” said MDP officer Orlando Fleites.
To make sure your holiday season stays merry and bright, MDP detectives are reminding everyone to stay safe while shopping with their holiday crime initiative because while it is a time for deals, it’s also a time for steals.
“We will have increased patrols, both uniformed and undercover in all of the unincorporated Miami-Dade malls,” Director Freddy Ramirez said. “We will be collaborating with our fellow law enforcement agencies, and you will feel our presence out there.”
“We’re looking for people acting suspicious, an example of that would be people walking through the parking lot with no real sense of direction,” Fleites said. “Either that or people looking into several cars because usually when shoppers come out, they go straight to their vehicle.”
Officer Fleites is one of the many officers who will be proactively paroling the malls, but he said it’s also about shoppers staying vigilant.
“If you buy something of great value, jewelry, electronics, things of that nature, go straight home,” he said. “Sometimes they work in conjunction, bad guys work in groups, and they’ll advise, ‘Hey, this person just made a big purchase, follow them.’ So what they’re doing is, they’re betting on you making a secondary stop, meaning, stopping at a gas station real quick to put gas or stopping at a friend’s house.”
And for those who will stick to online shopping this year, you’ll want to watch out for porch pirates.
“Don’t leave your packages out there, make sure when you’re purchasing from companies, online companies, make sure they’re legit companies and you’re not getting caught up in some sort of phishing scam,”Ramirez said.
So, remember, try to park in well-lit areas and always have your keys in your hands when walking to and from your car, and if you see anything suspicious, make sure to call police.
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