The Benton Police Department is launching the “Don’t Let the Grinch Steal Your Christmas” Campaign this holiday season.  This endeavor is a two part campaign designed to help keep everyone’s Christmas presents where they belong: under their tree.

    The first part is educating our citizen’s about what they can do to help prevent themselves from becoming a victim.  It’s also about encouraging them to contact the police department should they see anything unusual or out of the ordinary. 

    Some of the ideas and tips we are trying to convey are:
• When shopping, use the buddy system.  The old adage there is strength in numbers holds true
• Park in well lighted areas if you shop at night
• Don’t leave packages in plain view for criminal to see. 
• Lock your doors and don’t leave “tempting” items out (GPS, laptop, purse, etc.) 
• If you don’t have a trunk, then carry a trash bag (not clear) with you and place your packages in them.  This at least makes them less appealing to criminals. 
• Don’t wear expensive jewelry while shopping, because it will attract unwanted attention from criminals. 
• Don’t carry large amounts of cash with you.  Credit cards are safer to use, because if they are lost or stolen you are only liable for a small amount if it’s used illegally. 

    The second part of this campaign is our department taking extra steps to help prevent these types of crime.  This will be achieved through extra patrols of both residential and business areas throughout the holiday season. 

    A big part of helping to keep criminals from ruining your Christmas lies in you, our citizen’s, hands.  If you observe something suspicious and are not sure whether you should dial 911 to report it we strongly encourage you to do so.  We would rather investigate something that turned out to be nothing than run the risk of missing Grinch’s in the act.  For more information please visit the Benton Police Department website: www.bentonpolice.org    

    Don’t let the Grinch steal your Christmas this year by following these ideas and staying safe.  Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Benton Police Department.