Law enforcement urges crime awareness during holidays

Cy-Fair is generally regarded as a safe place to live by law enforcement officials who cover the area. Low overall crime rates and violent crime rates make it one of the safer places around Houston, according to Lt. Wayne Schultz with the Harris County Precinct 4 constable's office. However, he also noted that certain crimes tend to become more common around the holidays.

"Property crime can follow a sort of seasonal trend around this time of year," he said. "Suspects go out when people's guards are down."

Property crime is a category of crime that includes burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting and vandalism. Property crimes do not involve force or threat of force against a victim. Incidents often take place around malls or shopping centers, but they can also take place in neighborhood settings, Schultz said.

Burglary of motor vehicles is among the top crimes, especially in suburban areas, Schultz said. One way to combat that kind of crime is to increase patrols, but Schultz said getting more residents to simply lock their car doors proves much more effective.

"A lot of time it's just criminals or teenagers going around from car to car and checking to see if the doors are unlocked," he said. "If they get in, they'll go through the center console and the glove box and take anything from loose change to cell phones and iPods."

The city of Jersey Village has similar statistics to the rest of Cy-Fair, with violent crimes even less common. The most common crimes include theft and burglary.

The Jersey Village Police Department offers a Community Oriented Policing program, in which community members can collaborate with police. The program has been successful at both reducing crime and revitalizing neighborhoods over the past few years, Chief Eric Foerster said.