DA offers tips for safe holidays

Posted at: 11/23/2009 12:43 PM | Updated at: 11/23/2009 2:31 PM
By: Austin Reed, Eyewitness News 4, and Reed Upton, KOB.com

Kari Brandenburg

Albuquerque District Attorney Kari Brandenburg is offering tips to help you avoid crime during the holidays, a period during which crime spikes.

"Be aware of what's going on," she said at a Monday news conference. "Take precautions. A lot of those are common sense: Make sure your car is secured, your house is secured, and think about your own personal safety. And if you notice anything out of sync, call law enforcement."

Brandenburg says one of the most common ways for people to become a crime victim during the cold weather is to leave a car idling as it warms up and lose it to a car thief.

Another way to become a victim is to leave shopping bags, purses or cell phones visible in a car.

Last year, there were more than 900 reports of property crimes during November, December and January in Bernalillo County, according to the DA's office. Drunk driving and domestic violence also go up during the holidays.

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