Let me start by wishing you a glorious holiday. May your week be filled with lots of love, happiness and most of all good health!

While celebrating the holidays this week we need to keep in mind that some people will start scavenging the neighborhoods to see what others received as gifts. Now you may wonder ’’well, how will they know what I got for Christmas?’’ Well, it will be very simple for them to know if you don’t follow some simple crime prevention techniques.

The following should be done as soon as you finish your day’s activities with your family and friends:

• Do NOT place empty boxes of toys, electronic equipment, computer equipment and appliance outside for garbage pickup day.

• Take every box, tear it up or squash it and place in a large black garbage bag. The ones you use for leaves. By doing this anyone driving around checking out ’’garbage’’ will not see what new items you have received.

• Mark all your new and used equipment with your driver license number using an electronic engraver or permanent marker. By doing this, should it be stolen and police find it, they will be able to trace it back to you.

• Police departments all over the country have storage facilities filled with equipment that they cannot return because the objects are not identifiable. So please take the time to mark all your items. This also can serve as a deterrent. When criminals notice that something is marked, they may not bother with it.

• You should also take the time to fill out those little registration cards and send them in to the companies. This will provide you with a record of your item should you need one in the future. And don’t forget to keep a copy for you.

All of this may sound like a hassle to do, but trust me all the above steps will help not only in preventing a possible burglary but also help in the recovery of your property.

As we travel during the next few days visiting friends and relatives, please remember to wear your seat belt and making sure that your children are properly restrained.

I want to say thank-you to Guillermo Diaz-Rousselot of Continental National Bank of Miami, former Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez and Tanya Gregorich, proprietor of the Flagler Outback Steakhouse for helping us with our Annual Toy Drive. I also want to recognize all of our law enforcement partners and crime watchers who donated toys. This year we partnered with Miami-Dade Corrections, Janelle Hall and donated the toys to children whose parents are incarcerated.

In closing I want to send our condolences to all the families in Newtown, Conn., for their tremendous loss. I can’t even put into words what I feel, but I know for sure that God has received the best Angels Heaven can have. We must find a way that this never happens again, and it truly is in our hands to make a difference.