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Bail Bonds In Santa Clarita: Holiday Safety Tips From SCV Sheriff’s Station

Posted by: Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch in Bail Bonds, Santa Clarita Latest News December 17, 2015 - 12:00 pm 0 500 Views

Ed. Note: The following is a KHTS Feature story based on a recent radio interview

To help the community stay safe this holiday season, a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputy offered a few safety tips on KHTS AM-1220’s latest “Neighborhood Watch” show, sponsored by All American Bail Bonds in Santa Clarita.

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“Let’s hit the big one right off the bat,” said Deputy and Zone Leader Kevin Duxbury. “That’s the DUIs, driving under the influence of alcohol. It can happen to even the most responsible person because when you’ve been drinking and your thinking is impaired, you’re not thinking straight.”

Duxbury said it’s not uncommon to see average residents and parents arrested for a DUI during the holiday season, and recommends all residents have a designated driver that doesn’t have a single drink.

“If you’re feeling that happy buzz, buzzed driving is drunk driving,” he added. “Call Uber, call a cab, do something, but get yourself home safe and save yourself a lot of drama as far as going to court, paying fines, but even worse than that hurting yourself, hurting someone else or possibly killing somebody.”

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In addition to drunk driving, Sheriff’s Station deputies also see an increased number of vehicle burglaries at shopping centers and malls during the holiday season.

“We see a lot of crimes where people’s vehicles have been burglarized and everything that they just bought is now gone,” Duxbury said. “That’s a horrible thing.”

Residents can help prevent this from happening to them by keeping any newly purchased gifts locked securely in their trunk– out of sight –while they continue their shopping or errands, or better yet, take the gifts directly home.

Identity theft is also very common this time of year, so Duxbury recommends residents keep an eye on their credit card when it’s being used and never do any online shopping at public places.

“Make sure that your card is always in view; there’s no reason a cashier should be holding your card under the counter,” he said. “If you’re shopping online, make sure you’re doing it at home or on a secured WiFi. Don’t use the public stuff, because if you buy something online … on public WiFi, you just sent your credit card and debit card information over the air and someone may have intercepted that.”

Residents can also help protect themselves from identity theft while online shopping by using a secure service like PayPal instead of their credit card when buying something from a smaller website they aren’t familiar with.

“And if you are ever doing anything where they ask for any part of your social security number, just stop right there,” Duxbury said. “It’s probably not a legit company and you’re going to get ripped off. There’s no reason for anybody to ask for your social security number for basic purchases.”

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In addition, the convenience of online shopping presents the opportunity for thieves to steal packages from people’s doorsteps.

“These days with technology, it’s very easy to track our packages and know exactly where they are at what time and when they’re delivered,” Duxbury said. “If you can make arrangements to have your package delivered when you’re actually home that’s a good thing… If you can have it delivered to work, that’s always a good option.”

Other alternatives include asking a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up the package immediately after it’s delivered, or to rent a mailbox from a secure facility for the holidays.