On the heels of a story regarding the robbery of a man in the parking lot of a Walmart, local leaders in law enforcement have been providing tips aimed at keeping you safe while you shop for Christmas.
Some advice from Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Clint Shannon...
"We usually suggest that you shop with another person and just being aware of your surroundings, looking around. If you notice anything different, unusual or something wrong, not to proceed."
An example of something that appears shady...
"If they see a car circling in the lot that looks suspicious or somebody that seems to be sitting, watching shoppers either come or go and it just looks out of place..."
That's when he says you should flag down mall security or call police, even if you're not sure it's necessary.
"We hear too often that people felt that something looked out of place, but we didn't know for sure and we didn't want to bother the police or security. Well, that's what we do and it only takes a second to check out so in those circumstances we want to be bothered."
Chief Shannon says to use the non-emergency number, 561-799-4445, in these cases as opposed to 911.
He points out that the same number will work for folks in Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Jupiter Inlet Colony and Juno Beach as well as Palm Beach Gardens since his department handles dispatch for those other agencies.