Ten Top Crimes During the Holiday Season

Ah, the holidays! A time of gift-giving, good food, and reconnection, when family and friends get together to reaffirm bonds and reflect on the year drawing to a close. The holidays can be wondrous and a key source of memories that last a lifetime. Unfortunately, some individuals either can't handle the good times or take advantage of the fact that others may have dropped their guard during the holidays. In this post, the bail bond agents at Tayler Made Bail Bonding look at 10 crimes commonly committed during the holidays.

Ten Crimes Often Committed During the Holidays

Crime statistics indicate the following are ten offenses commonly committed during the holidays. As an established and experienced bail bond company we can attest to the veracity of this list.

Driving under the influence or DUI

It should be no surprise that driving under the influence starts off our list. Even people who are normally straight-laced most of the year are often guilty of overdoing it during the holidays and getting behind the wheel. In the past drunk driving was often shrugged off. Not anymore. We are now painfully aware of the lives that can be destroyed by operating a vehicle under the influence and the police rightly make it a priority to get these people off the road during the holidays.

Burglary

During the holidays entire families often leave home for days at a time to visit distant relatives. The unfortunate reality is that there are people out there who see this as an opportunity to enrich themselves. Burglaries often skyrocket during the holiday season not just in Denver County, but nationwide. Before you leave home make sure every door and window is locked up tight and if you are able to set lights and shades to go on and off, or up and down, automatically, do so. This will create the impression someone is home.

Disorderly conduct

The spike in disorderly conduct cases during the holiday season can largely be traced back to the aforementioned habit people have of overindulging at parties and family get-togethers. Some of the most common holiday-related disorderly conduct charges we see at the bonding company include fighting, discharging a firearm in public, alcohol-driven lewd behavior, public drunkenness, and various types of loud, disruptive behavior.

Assault

In some cases, drunk and disorderly behavior goes completely off the rails and one person winds up assaulting another. Oftentimes the person conducting the assault and the person being assaulted are related or have known each other for a long time. In such cases, the assault may be the end result of litigating old grievances while under the influence. In other instances, a drunken individual may leave a party, sally forth into the night after drinking too much, and besiege someone on the street, typically for some imagined slight. In any event, assaults are always up during the holidays.

Domestic violence

It is a sad fact of life that tensions between partners often come to a head during the holidays. Once again, alcohol is often the lubricant for this type of abhorrent behavior. Suffering abuse at the hands of someone who is supposed to be your comfort and defender through thick and thin is an unfathomable violation, but police officers will testify that for some reason the holidays are the time many abusers choose to make themselves known. When they do they turn what is supposed to be a happy and spiritually rejuvenating time upside down.

Shoplifting

During the holiday season stores are often packed with shoppers. For most people, this is part of what makes the holidays so special. Others, however, see packed stores as an opportunity to shoplift what they want before blending in with the crowds and getting away. Shoplifters often justify their actions by saying it's a victimless crime. But that is hardly the case. Just look at the toll rampant shoplifting has had on downtown San Francisco where a majority of large retail stores have been forced to close causing many people to lose their jobs.

Vandalism

Vandalism and disorderly conduct often go hand in hand. And indeed almost every bail bond company can attest to the fact that many of their clients during the holiday season wind up being charged with both. Vandalism can take many forms including breaking windows, damaging vehicles, creating graffiti, damaging signs, or tearing down holiday decorations. Vandalism is commonly associated with juvenile offenders but during the holidays there are plenty of alleged adults who join in the fray.

Arson

Arson? That's right. Believe it or not, the National Fire Protection Association says that more than 20% of all house fires that occur during the holiday season are started by the homeowner. In many cases, they are motivated by a desire to collect on their homeowner's insurance and light their Christmas tree on fire thinking no one will suspect foul play since Christmas trees are a known fire risk. The problem with that thinking is that it underestimates the expertise and determination of highly-trained fire inspectors.

Fraud

Reports of fraud typically surge during the holiday season. Fraud can take many forms from stealing and using someone’s credit card information to selling counterfeit goods to unsuspecting shoppers. Another common type of holiday-related fraud involves fake charities that solicit donations. These fraudsters prey on people’s desire to do good during the holiday season. Their cons can be quite elaborate to the point that they may even set up phony websites with phony profiles of children supposedly in desperate need of help who do not actually exist. Never donate or give your credit card information to any "charity" you have never heard of. And keep in mind that online resources such as CharityWatch.org exist to help you determine if an organization requesting donations is on the up and up.

Online romance scams

While the holidays are a time when families reunite and reaffirm their bonds they can be a very lonely time for other people. Some people simply cannot bear being alone during such a family-oriented time of year and so they turn to online hook-up sites in the hopes of finding someone to alleviate their loneliness. But their desperation only makes them susceptible to online romance scammers. If in the process of searching for love online, you believe someone has scammed you out of money or misused your personal information the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, is there to help.

Don't Spend the Holidays in Jail - Call Our Bail Agents

People wind up in jail during the holidays for lots of reasons, including the ones listed above. If you find yourself occupying a jail cell this holiday season in Jefferson County or elsewhere get in touch with the team at Tayler Made Bail Bonds. We provide affordable bail bonds that will enable you to reunite with your loved ones in short order. And don’t forget we also offer 24-hour bail bonds, even on Christmas Eve!