Police warn of Christmas-time crime trouble
Morgan Hill – With all the usual trappings of a long holiday weekend, the Thanksgiving festivities in Morgan Hill kept police busy with calls for service.
California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Armstrong said aside from the typical problems on the roadways this time of year, mostly due to volume of traffic, the long Thanksgiving weekend was better than last year.
“Our accidents were down 10 from last year, we had no fatals, and we had four less arrests,” he said Monday. “Hopefully that means less people were drinking and driving. Another major thing was that last year, of 37 accidents, 21 had at least a minor injury; this year, of our 27 accidents, only three had any injury. We also had a lot of speed and seatbelt citations. The captain was really excited when he saw the low numbers. It seems to show that when our officers are visible and in force, it is a deterrent.”
Morgan Hill Police Cmdr. Terrie Booten said the Mushroom City stayed relatively quiet over the holiday, though officers are always busy this time of year.
“This is about what we expect for this time of the year,” Booten said. “We were busy, busier than most of the time, but the shopping season and the time for gathering of families and friends, the celebration time of the year, we expect a certain amount of activity.”
The department typically makes more DUI arrests, and sees more incidents of theft – auto burglary, home burglaries and shoplifting during the holidays Booten said.
Another frequent complaint during holiday seasons is domestic abuse. However the volumes of calls because of fights, verbal and physical, did not materialize, Booten said.
“It was really very quiet,” she said Monday. “We had more petty thefts, more other kinds of calls, than domestic situations.”
Now that the holiday season has officially arrived, Booten added, it is important for people to realize that it can also be the season of crime. And people can and many times do make things easier for criminals by what they do or do not do.
“We can expect, obviously, increased activity in the shopping centers, and we need people to be alert in the parking lots as well as in the stores,” said Booten. “They need to be heads up if they are putting gifts in the car. Put them in the trunk, not where they are visible on the seats. They need to be aware of their surroundings, be cognizant. Be careful to lock up their homes and lock their car doors. Slow down, take a count of what you are doing. People are under pressure this type of year, and you see more accidents, more careless behavior brought about by stress.”
