Useful Holiday Safety Tips from APD and Midtown Blue
Holiday season brings more risk of thefts. Here's how to stay ahead of the bad guys.
12/05/24
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now in the rear-view mirror, Midtown Atlanta is bustling with holiday merriment ... and lots of shopping activity. And for criminals, it's prime season to commit thefts.
While overall crime is down in Midtown in 2024 - the 1.2 square mile Midtown Improvement District is currently enjoying record lows for property crimes based on data going back more than 25 years - it's important for everyone who spends time here to remain vigilant.
The Atlanta Police Department and Midtown Alliance’s Midtown Blue supplemental public safety team offer these safety tips:
Track your package orders closely and change up your delivery options.
Online shopping and package delivery volume are about to rise. But packages sitting outside your front door for a long period of time can make easy targets for thieves. So try to retrieve your packages as soon as they're delivered. And if you can't be there, consider asking a neighbor to scoop them up for you. Another option to think about is having packages delivered to your workplace if you're not at home.
Keep doors closed and know who's entering behind you into your residential building.
Make sure doors to stairwells and mail rooms are closed completely. Don't leave them propped open for anybody. Don't share your residential building's keypad access code for entry with others. And be alert when you enter your residential building's controlled-access doors that strangers do not attempt to slip in behind you and get access to your building.
Hide your purchases.
If you have gifts in your vehicle, store them in the trunk and out of sight. The experience in Midtown is that the most prevalent type of crime that happens here perennially is car break-ins. Through late-November, more than 300 car break-ins have been reported in the district, down -11% from 2023 but still the most common type of crime in Midtown. The same goes for gifts visible in your home through a window. Avoid leaving any valuables where thieves can see them and possibly steal them by smashing a window.
Keep your holiday travel plans off social media.
If you’re traveling for the holidays, don’t announce it online and make it easier for burglars to target your home. Get a friend or neighbor to check on your house and pick up your mail and packages.
Invest in security cameras or smart doorbells at home.
Seeing a camera can be an effective deterrent for would-be burglars. The best option? Install a camera that features motion sensors which send you alerts when someone shows up at your door.
After the holidays, be mindful of the boxes you throw away.
When thieves can see your post-holiday trash or recycling outside your residence, be sure to break down boxes with labels that indicate what presents you got for the holidays. Some common examples are flatscreen TV boxes with big, conspicuous labels, and video game consoles.
Do your part by staying alert and reporting any suspicious activity.
Approach your building’s property manager if something doesn’t look right inside your building. If there’s an emergency, dial 911. And for non-emergency issues in the public right-of-way, call Midtown Blue at 404-817-0500.
