Have a spare key hidden in that planter? Maybe rethink that (and other holiday safety tips from the UT Southwestern Police)

The holiday season brings celebration, joy, gifts – and a few bothersome criminals. UT Southwestern Police would like to share the following safety tips to help keep you and yours safe this season.

Work/personal safety

• Reduce or eliminate opportunities that may make you a target. Keep your purse, wallet, keys, or other valuable items with you at all times, or locked in a drawer or closet.
• Be aware of your surroundings at all times and trust your instincts.
• Stay in well-lit, populated pathways. Avoid shortcuts.
• Travel in groups; there's always safety in numbers.
• Walk with your head upright. Make eye contact. Thieves often target victims who are not paying attention to their surroundings or who are looking down.
• Pay attention to your surroundings when using electronics on the streets, subways, and buses. Don't tune yourself out. Don’t walk and text!

Home safety

• Make sure all doors and windows have secondary locks (window pins, deadbolts, dowels, etc.) and use them!
• Don't hide spare keys in mailboxes or planters, or under doormats.
• Ensure that dark areas and entrances have outdoor lights that are turned on after dark or are activated by sensors.
• Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed so they do not conceal doors and windows. Overgrown foliage can provide a hiding place for criminals.
• Place gifts where they can't be seen from the outside.
• Lock your vehicle and remove all the valuables.