With the holidays coming up it is important to keep personal safety in mind when shopping. The Elmhurst Police Department would like

to advise residents this season to be smart when shopping at stores with the following safety tips:

• Shop during the day if possible, but if you go at night bring a friend. 
• Only bring necessary cash, cards, and identification and do not leave your purse or bags unattended.
• When placing shopping bags in your vehicle, put them in the trunk where they are out of sight. Be sure to remember to lock your vehicle when entering stores.
• Be cautious of strangers approaching you for any reason. Con artists will try to distract you with the intention of taking money/ belongings.
• If shopping online, be careful of online scams, there will be plenty of fake bargains so if it sounds too good to be true it probably is! Only make purchases from reputable websites and do research on websites you are unsure about.
• Have a safe shopping trip by being alert and following these tips!

Also during the holidays there are more opportunities for packages to be stolen. Follow the Elmhurst Police Department’s tips to prevent package theft:

• When making a purchase online, choose a specific delivery time if the retailer provides the option. If purchasing from a large retailer, consider having it be delivered for pick-up at one of their local stores. Ask your work if you can get packages delivered there.
• If the package is being delivered to your home take advantage of delivery alerts so you can be notified when the package arrives. Ask a trusted neighbor to take your package inside if you are unavailable to accept the delivery yourself.
• When possible, request the delivery company to hold your package at their closest pick-up facility until you can pick it up. You can also ask the shipper to require a signature, confirmation of delivery to prevent packages being left when no one is home to sign. It can be helpful to provide delivery instructions so packages can be left out of sight from the front yard/road.
• Take advantage of delivery options and be vigilant in your neighborhood