Increased crowds can make shoppers on Long Island targets for crime during this holiday season -- and for communities already reeling from recent mall and Costco parking lot thefts, that reality just further stokes the anxiety.
Fear not, additional security is coming, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said Tuesday. He announced that more police officers would flood downtown shopping and mall areas in the county for the holidays.
Bike patrols will come in handy in parking lots of popular shopping destinations, and department resources will be used in a number of other obvious and less obvious means to keep consumers safe, Harrison says.
The Park, Walk, and Talk program will continue its community engagement efforts, officials say -- and cops sought to remind Long Islanders of their zero-tolerance policy for drivers under the influence.
These increased enforcement efforts come just four months after at least 10 Costco and Bed, Bath and Beyond shoppers were robbed across Suffolk County in so-called “deception thefts,” where a con artist would pretend to need help with directions while the other would steal from these victims in the parking lot.
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It wasn't immediately clear Tuesday if any arrests had been made in those cases.
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The Suffolk County Police Department also shared holiday shopping safety tips, like not leaving valuables in clear view inside your car and avoiding going shopping alone. See their full safety guide below and get more holiday news here.