YOUNGSTOWN - The Youngstown Police Department will be conducting extra patrols throughout the city starting now through the holidays. 

The patrols will focus their attention on city businesses and roadways, so people living and shopping in the city have an extra sense of security. 

"Historically throughout the country a lot of businesses see an uptick in crime whether it's thefts or robberies," Said Youngstown Police Captain Jason Simon. "We don't generally see a lot of that here in the city, but again that's why we put out the extra patrols to ensure that we don't get a rash of crime here," he said.

According to Captain Simon, both marked and unmarked units, uniformed and plain-clothes officers will be regularly seen on all sides of town throughout the day. 

"Though we don't have the large retail establishments like Boardman or Niles or Austintown, there's still a lot of businesses in the city, even if there's smaller businesses, locally owned that people come to," said Captain Simon. "We'll stop at any of the stores that the officers come across," he said.

Police are urging the public to stay out of harms way by watching your surroundings coming in and out of stores and not allowing thieves to visibly see gifts sitting in your car while you shop.

The extra patrols aim to promote a safe and enjoyable experience for those traveling and shopping in the city of Youngstown.