San Diego County sheriff’s deputies are launching their holiday patrols on Thanksgiving, staking out shopping center parking lots to deter thefts and car prowls.
Deputies are starting their SkyWatch program, a movable tower where they can monitor parking lots from above, on Thanksgiving at the Walmart in Poway from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. Black Friday.
Then, deputies will move to the Stater Brothers and Kmart parking lots in Ramona on Black Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The SkyWatch program will launch again the first week of December, as deputies will perform increased patrols along Broadway and Lemon Grove Avenue and trolley platforms in Lemon Grove.
Then, deputies will bring the SkyWatch tower to the Walmart on Leucadia Boulevard in Encinitas from Dec. 10 to Dec. 18, starting at 8 a.m.
Deputies will also be on hand around the county in December to discuss holiday shopping safety tips with folks. They’ll be at the Valley Center sheriff’s substation on Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Promenade Shopping Center in Imperial Beach from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
