SAN ANTONIO – Hailey Villarreal said she felt a rush of fear and frustration after her car was broken into.
“It was shattered all over the place, and there was glass everywhere,” Villarreal said. “And it’s happened two more times after. Not even just mine. It’s been around the whole neighborhood.”
The San Antonio Police Department said car thefts and car break-ins are a citywide problem. But during the holidays, officers expect even more of a spike.
“This is the time of year where we see numbers rise up and burglary vehicles,” Ricardo Guzman, a spokesperson for the department, said. “A lot of it is due to shopping.”
Here are five tips from SAPD to help prevent these crimes:
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Lock your car
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Take out any valuables
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Don’t leave your keys inside your vehicle
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Leave shopping bags at home or hide them
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Park in a well-lit area
“It’s scary,” resident Rosemary Garza said. “But, we all look out for each other.”