ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – With Christmas less than a week away, it seems there are a lot of “Grinches” out there, and many are getting caught on camera trying to break into cars and steal Christmas gifts.

KOB 4 spoke to local law enforcement officers Wednesday about what you can do to make sure those presents make it under the tree.

“If somebody sees something through a window, it’s going to be an easy target for them to go ahead and break your window. And then you’re having to worry about not only missing gifts, but a broken window to pay for in the holiday season,” said Samantha Martinez, an APD Crime Prevention specialist. 

Besides locking your car, there is one easy thing everyone can do to prevent something like this from happening.

“Best practice is to get those items inside as soon as possible. Unfortunately, thieves target people coming home directly from work or early mornings even,” said BCSO Deputy Tyler Lapierre.

But it’s not just cars that are getting targeted.

“We at the sheriff’s department are seeing a large increase of people having items stolen not only from their vehicles but also from the driveway,” said Lapierre. 

It’s still porch pirate season, so both APD and BCSO are encouraging folks to make sure their security cameras are running properly, and to be a good neighbor if you see something suspicious.

“In community meetings I always encourage people you know your neighborhood better than I as a law enforcement officer ever could, and so I highly encourage people if you see something, say something. Feel free to utilize our non-emergency dispatch number,” said Lapierre.