JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A citywide crime prevention alert that applies to any household that enjoyed Christmas gifts is being issued to residents of Jacksonville and the surrounding areas Tuesday night.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office wants the public to be mindful when getting rid of the boxes that might have contained some pricey items because it could be a target for burglars.
Items like new lawn tools, a 55-inch flat screen TV, a brand new dining table can make homes an easy target, according to officials.
News4Jax Crime and Safety Analyst Gil Smith says homeowners should be cautious when discarding of gift boxes.
“People sometimes don't think burglars could be just trolling the neighborhood looking for those type of boxes to see what type of items they received for Christmas and then maybe come back and burglarize it,” Smith said.
Crime experts warn that it’s not just your trash that could attract burglars. Smith says burglars also prowl the Internet hoping to benefit from your excited post about your gift on social media.
“People are excited about Christmas time. Sometimes they get gifts they're not expecting and they want to tell people about it and sometimes they do that online,” Smith said. “You want to be careful with that also because someone could track down their address and find out where they live and possibly burglar was the home at a later date.”
Smith recommends the following when discarding your trash:
1. Breakdown or tear up boxes that held expensive items.
2. Place those torn up pieces into black bags to conceal the box all together