ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Police in Roseville will be patrolling shopping center over the holiday season. That includes uniformed and undercover officers. It’s all about keeping shoppers and cracking down on holiday crime.
"Retail related theft will increase over the holiday season,” said Rob Baquera, Public Information Officer with the Roseville Police Department. “We want to pass along a zero-tolerance for retail theft and crime in our community.”
The move comes after police say a group of people wearing masks ran into the Macy's at the Westfield Galleria at Roseville Monday night. Police say the group left the store empty-handed in getaway cars.
"We're going to do everything we can to keep people from stealing from our retailers or victimizing our residents,” Baquera said.
Police are also reminding the public about basic holiday shopping safety. That includes not shopping alone, parking in a well-lit area, paying attention to surroundings, and not leaving valuables in a car.
“I’m always thinking about safety, said Derek Kadoya, a shopper at Westfield Galleria at Roseville. “You can’t avoid everything, but you can be aware of your surroundings. Your only alternative is to stay home.”
According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 2 million more people than last year are expected to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year. NRF surveyed 7,837 adults in November. The survey found 30.6 million people plan to shop either in-store or online on Thanksgiving Day, 108 million on Black Friday, 58.1 million on Small Business Saturday, 31.2 million on Sunday and 62.8 million on Cyber Monday.
“We’re expecting another record-breaking holiday season this year and Thanksgiving weekend will play a major role as it always has,” said Matthew Shay, NRF President and CEO. “NRF is encouraging consumers to shop safe and shop early, but retailers are confident they have enough inventory on hand to meet holiday demand.”
If you plan to shop online instead of in-person at a shopping center, police are still encouraging people to be on the alert. Police are warning online shoppers about the possibility of holiday shopping scams or identity theft.
“I don’t even know the last time I went shopping,” said Coral Wiley, an online shopper in Roseville. “I choose to shop online. There’s probably nothing in the store that is worth the health or safety of another person.”
Police recommend watching out for emails, texts or other promotions that suspicious. Police also suggests verifying a retailers’ website to avoid falling victim to an online scam.
You should also guard your personal information, consider you payment options, and always keep tabs on your bank and credit card statements. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.