Halloween Safety

Halloween can be celebrated in numerous ways by trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, dressing up in
costumes, and even watching scary movies with loved ones. Regardless of how it is celebrated, safety is a
top priority. 

Did you know?

• The latest federal highway safety data displays that children are at a higher risk to be struck and killed
  by a vehicle on Halloween than any other day of the year.
• Statistic reports indicate that this year 62 percent of the respondents stated they were planning to
  hand out candy and 46 percent of the respondents said they were going to carve a pumpkin as part of
  their Halloween festivities.
• Tee-Peeing, throwing eggs, destruction of property and vandalism are some of the common crimes
  committed by youth in Halloween.
• Texas has a “no candy” law prohibiting convicted sex offenders from handing out candy on Halloween.
• Sex offenders must keep their lights off on Halloween to indicate no candy will be given at their home.

Holiday Shopping Safety

The holiday season is always a special time of year. Unfortunately, thieves often use the holiday season to find easy targets. As you shop, please be mindful of the following safety tips to help keep your holiday shopping safe and joyous!

Did you know?

• In 2019 Black Friday saw 93.2 million buyers shopping online.
• Millennials were the biggest spenders on Black Friday 2019.
• Black Friday online shopping sales hit $7.4 billion in 2019 which is an all-time high.
• In person shopper visits on Black Friday 2019 fell down by 6.2% from 2018.
• 56% of online shoppers use their mobile device for holiday shopping.
• Identity theft and robberies are two of the most common crimes during the holiday season.
• Identity theft accounted for 20.33% of cases and was the most-common type of fraud in 2019.
• 51% of online retailers do not attempt to lock a consumer out after 10 incorrect login attempts; therefore, fraudsters have an unlimited number of attempts into your online profile/account.

Situational Awareness Tips

At Crime Stoppers of Houston, we teach situational awareness year-round, however there is an increase in crimes of opportunity over the holiday season. Because of that, it is important to remain vigilant throughout the holidays and arm yourself with safety measures. Happy holidays!

Did you know?

• In 2019, Texas Governor signed HB 37 which increased mail theft to a felony offense – maximum penalty being up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
• The FBI estimates that there are at least 500,000 predators are active online every day
• A perpetrator decides if you are an easy target within 7 seconds of seeing you.
• The majority of sexual assaults (55%) occur at or near the victim’s house.
• Most violent and/or property crimes in the US are not reported to police, and most of the crimes that are reported go unsolved.

College Safety Tips

From 2021 to 2022, College campuses saw*:

• Incidents of theft increase 33%
• Assault cases rise 11%
• Reported incidents of robbery, burglary, breaking and entering increase 26%
  
  In October 2022, Mayo Clinic reported that:
•  44% of college students struggle with symptoms of depression and anxiety
•  75% of struggling students are reluctant to seek help for mental health issues. 

In 2019, Senate Bill 212 was passed which requires public and private universities to publicly share report of certain incidents, including sexual assault and harassment, dating violence or stalking. They must also make public the number of reports and investigations, the result of the investigations, any disciplinary action taken and the number
of reports in which disciplinary action was not taken. 

*Statistics taken from the Crime Stoppers of Houston Glenda Gordy Research Center