Holiday Safety

And with the Christmas holiday right around the corner, unfortunately, so are some of the highest crime rates.

With holiday shopping at it’s prime, it’s crucial to remember some important tips to keep yourself and your belongings safe this holiday season. We spoke with Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz this afternoon for some tips and pointers.

"A lot of times when we have a lot of burglaries or a lot of car break ins or business break ins, most of the time people are looking for unlocked doors, and they’ll walk through neighborhoods and check in car doors, if they’re unlocked they’ll get in and take the valuables that they see. But if they’re locked, they don’t want to bring the attention to themselves in breaking windows or trying to break into that car."

Lutz says protecting yourself is the most important thing you can do, and there are plenty of ways to avoid becoming a victim.

"We talk to people all the time about if you’re leaving a store, if you walk out by yourself, you’re a pretty good target, but if you wait at the door and wait for a crowd to come out, even if you don’t know those people and you’re walking out with them, somebody’s a lot less opt to attack a group of people opposed to a single person."

When traveling alone, Lutz says its important to park in a well-lit parking lot and to carry your car keys in your hands in case you need to use them for self defense.