LAPD Prepares For Black Friday, Reminds Shoppers To 'Lock It, Hide It, Keep It'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Shoppers and merchants aren't the only ones preparing for Black Friday; so are Los Angeles police.
Officers Monday reminded shoppers of numerous safety tips and precautions to keep in mind during holiday shopping.
"A car drove up behind me. A young man got out, pointed a gun at me, and said '-----, give me your purse'," robbery victim Corinne Nitz said of her experience during a previous Black Friday. "So the ----- gave him her purse."
The LAPD emphasized the principles of its "Lock It, Hide It, Keep It" program, in which shoppers who have packages and valuables in their vehicles are urged to keep them out of sight and make sure the car is locked, KNX1070's Ron Kilgore reports.
"If you're going to have belongings in your car, you're going to have to hide it. That means keep it concealed — we suggest putting it in the trunk," LAPD's Janet Zumpstein said. "If the suspect can't see it, they won't know that you have it in your car."
LAPD Prepares For Black Friday, Reminds Shoppers To 'Lock It, Hide It, Keep It'
"The Police Department works with all the malls that we cover, and they did increase security staff for the malls," Zumpstein said. "We have extra patrol with LAPD. We'll have officers on bicycles, we'll have officers on T-3s."
Officers also discussed assisting retail stores with traffic control.
