(WSIL) -- After Christmas, you may have a few opened boxes left to be trashed. But if not disposed properly, they could invite burglars to your home.
Leaving out items at the end of your driveway, like boxes for TVs, toys and other gifts could create opportunities for criminal activity in your neighborhood.
Experts say cutting up the boxes and putting them in trash bags will help conceal your new items. Jefferson county sheriff, Jeff Bullard, says there are other precautions you can take.
"Burn all that stuff in a burn pile where it's not seen or have it disposed of in a way that where you know what time that your garbage collection comes by and have it placed out by 15 minutes prior [of them] being there so that it's not sitting out there for everyone to see what all you got for Christmas," said Jefferson County Sheriff, Jeff Bullard.Â
Law enforcement officials also say keep your car locked and bring your valuables inside and keep your home secured.
"It's important for people to realize its not just their homes that are being targeted, that people should also keep their vehicles locked. Frequently, we see wallets, gift cards, firearms that the people that live in the home lawfully own their firearms and they leave it in their car forget to lock their door and they wake up the next morning and the fire arm is gone," he said.
And sheriff Bullard says contacting your neighborhood watch group and reporting suspicious activity are other great ideas to keep your community safe this holiday season.
"It's important for the public to know that police investigate suspicious circumstances for a living. And so you're not bothering the police to call and report something that might seem suspicious," he said.
