Thousands of Cheyenne shoppers will be gobbling up Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving and thieves will be shopping around too -- for victims.

Cheyenne Police Department spokesman Officer Dan Long says while vehicle theft is a problem all year long, it's far worse around the holidays.

"People are out shopping, they're going from store to store and they're forgetting to lock their vehicles," said Long. "Their high-value items are in the vehicle, they're visible and people are coming and taking them."

The good news is that shoppers can prevent auto burglaries by taking some simple steps.

"I would always recommend locking your doors and keeping those valuables out of sight," said Long. "Once you get those high-valued items take them to your house and make sure they're in a safe place, don't leave them in your car for a week or so."

Long says officers will also be out in force at the mall and stores throughout Cheyenne to try to keep Black Friday trouble-free.

"In some stores we'll actually have officers in there working," said Long. "We also have our Citizens on Patrol, our volunteer group, that actually drives the parking lots of the different areas watching out for any kind of burglary and larceny and just monitoring the traffic situation."

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