BRYANT, Ark. — Recently we've shared why experts are encouraging people to get their holiday shopping done early this year— but if you're getting a head start, police said you also need to watch out.
"It's like it starts earlier every year," said Sergeant Todd Crowson with the Bryant Police Department.
Empty parking spaces will soon be hard to find as the holidays continue to inch closer.
“We have a couple of different shopping centers here,” said Crowson. “And in Bryant, you know, you get the big Walmart, Target stores that's in little shops in between.”
He said that he and his department are prepared to have extra eyes on each one of those locations.
"If someone's gonna get robbed, they're gonna look for someone who's not paying attention, and who they can catch off guard," said Crowson.
He added that while they want to make sure shoppers are safe from any grinches, they're also asking shoppers to keep an eye out too.
"So, keep your eyes up, put the phone away, and pay attention to what's going on,” said Crowson.
According to Crowson, last year they saw a spike in thefts around the holiday season.
"Why is it like that? I don't know, I think, you know, desperate times, people do desperate things,” he said. “So again, you just gotta start doing some preventive stuff.”
Crowson advised people to lock their doors and avoid leaving valuables in their cars.
That advice might sound simple, but Crowson said that it's extremely important to remember— especially when going from store to store.
"They're gonna be walking by looking in windows. If you don't see anything, then they're gonna move on,” he added.
If you prefer to do all your shopping online, Crowson said that it's still important to protect yourself from porch pirates— so track your deliveries carefully.