OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -
Soon, many of you will be humming Christmas tunes as you merrily scope out the sales at your hometown mall.
But thieves will be looking to play Scrooge to your Christmas shopping.
Overland Park police are stepping up their efforts to catch the crooks before you can say, "Bah humbug."
This includes stepping up patrols at Oak Park Mall and other retail businesses. Both uniform and undercover officers are being deployed in the battle. Extra training is being given to store employees in an effort to combat shoplifting.
The anti-theft initiative began Oct. 5, and 10 arrests have been made so far.
"Theft and shoplifting is the number one thing we see," Overland Park police public information officer Gary Mason said. "We see there is credit card fraud that will happen with stolen credit cards. There are things that happen out in the parking lot with auto burglaries. We are stressing to people not to leave their presents, gifts inside the vehicles in open view where people can get easy access to them."
Shoppers appreciate seeing the extra uniform officers, Mason said. The "plain visibility" of uniformed officers helps deter crime, he said.
"But we also have people undercover in plain clothes. I think that's the key to catching some of these people in the act," he said.
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