Police Warn Against Holiday Property Crime Hike

Property crimes rise during the holidays, but most of these crimes are easy to avoid, according to a sheriff's official.

"With the holiday season upon us, the typically observes a rise in property crimes," said sheriff's Sgt. Vance Stolte. "The majority of property crimes during the holiday season are the result of crimes of opportunity."

Most criminals are tempted to commit crimes, such as burglaries from vehicles, residential burglaries and thefts from open garages, when they see items, such as purses, backpacks, briefcases, wallets, GPS units, iPods and cell phones, lying in plain sight, the sergeant said.

A man was arrested for allegedly committing a crime in this manner last week in a school parking lot. To read about it,

Stolte asked residents to watch for suspicious behavior, such as people walking on streets looking into cars and pulling on door handles, people driving at low speeds looking at parked cars and people sitting in parked cars for long periods of time.

The police department plans to hand out pamphlets to get these tips to the public.

Anybody who sees this behavior was asked to call the Temecula Police Department at 951-696-3000.