This brings safe holiday shopping tips in mind. Sergeant Mark Saltzman spoke with 44 News about keeping alert during the holiday season.

Sergeant Saltzman says, “When you’re in stores and when you’re shopping, I would tell people to make sure that you keep your purses close, wallets close, don’t leave your carts and your valuables unattended. Always make sure you keep them with you all the time.”

Many of the shoppers we talked to were well aware of the possibility of being taken advantage of by criminals. One Black Friday Shopper says, “Like it’s monotonous you know I mean everybody have a job to do and if they don’t have none you know I mean they got to invest in getting a job and they don’t have to worry about stealing.”

Evansville Police stress that staying alert of your surroundings – and simple tactics to outsmart thieves are the most important steps in making your holiday shopping experience a safe one.

Sergeant Saltzman suggests, “Going from store to store and if you’re storing your items in your car put as many of the items as you can in the trunk or at least cover them up so your items of value aren’t visible or at least easily visible through the windows. It’s gonna give you a better likelihood of your vehicle not being broken into.”

He also encourages parents to keep a close eye out for children as well while shopping during the holiday season. If anyone witnesses any suspicious activity whether it’s in a parking lot or inside of a store, please contact Evansville Police.