CIBOLO, Texas – It’s that time of year. Holiday shopping is in full effect and so are thieves.
Cibolo police want to remind the community of the problem, especially after someone was recently caught on camera breaking into vehicles.
Lieutenant Chris Kotzur, of the Cibolo Police Department, reissued a warning Tuesday.
"Don't leave things visible in your car. Lock them in the trunk and lock your doors," Kotzur said. "I think it's just pretty obvious that it's this time of year where people go out shopping and then, you know, they buy gifts for other people."
Kotzur and his team are now looking for the person who burglarized at least one vehicle and tried to do the same to several others the night before Halloween on Alpino near Turning Stone Park.
Ellie Rodriguez, who lives near the scene of the burglary, takes extra precautions no matter what's in her car.
“I don’t have a remote control on my car so before I even step out of my car, if my car is off, I hit the lock button,” Rodriguez said.
Kotzur said it's not only vehicles at heightened risk for holiday burglaries.
Homes and businesses are also targeted.
Kotzur warns people never to leave large TV boxes or boxes that contain valuables on the curb because it could let potential thieves know what new items may be in a person’s home or business.
Todd Williams, owner of 1911 Cigars, lives by that advice, especially since he just opened his business a few months ago. Williams said he also tries to manage shipments, with thieves in mind.
“We get it in at certain times of the day, certain times of the night, where traffic is not high and there’s not a lot of people present,” Williams said.
In the state of Texas, burglary of a vehicle is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a $4,000 fine and up to a year in prison.
If anyone has information on the burglar seen in the video, you’re asked to call Cibolo police, or the Guadalupe County Crime Stoppers at 877-403-TIPS (7477). As always, you will remain anonymous.