As people try to get their last-minute holiday shopping done, authorities in Hall County are offering some tips to ensure it's done safely.
Lt. Lisa Collett with the Hall County Sheriff's Office says many of the potentially dangerous shopping situations arise in the parking lots outside of stores. She says it's important to lock your vehicle and make sure there are no valuables immediately visible while you're in the store.
She also said it's important to make your time spent in the parking lot as brief as possible.
"Make sure you've prepared your path to make sure you're not wandering around in the parking lot in an unsafe manner with packages in hand, or fumbling for your keys, because that can be a big safety issue," Collett said.
She advised shoppers to be aware of their surroundings and contact law enforcement if they see something that looks unsafe while they're out.
"Let us know if you see something suspicious at areas you frequent," Collett said. "If you see some type of gathering of people fast traveling through certain areas, or continuous circling of certain areas while you're out...we always want to know anything that seems out of the normal. We'll come and check the area to make sure there's no issues."
Collett also offered tips for staying safe once you arrive home from shopping. She recommends getting any packages you've purchased out of your vehicle and into your home as soon as possible.
"Unfortunately, there is this pirate trend of coming to people's property, seeing the opportunity and taking it," Collett said. "We tend to do a lot of Christmas shopping online, which ends up with multiple packages on our porches or our walkways or driveways...unfortunately, we do have people that will come take packages off your porch. It is something that has increased over the years."
Collett said local law enforcement agencies in the Northeast Georgia area are working together along with local businesses to share information about what kinds of criminal activities are taking place around holiday shopping.
"We're keeping up with what's going on and passing information amongst us to provide the most secure, safest shopping season possible for our citizens that live in Hall County," Collett said.
To hear more from Hall County Sheriff's Office Lt. Lisa Collett on holiday shopping safety, click play on the audio above.
