Several years ago, the "Going Away?" program was created as a way for would be vacationers to let the police department know they will be away.
The form gives officers information about when you are going away, and lets us know your house will be empty. This information is distributed to officers, who can then take the initiative, and make security checks on your home, checking to make sure windows and doors are locked. On occasion, people who are familiar with a house may forget about a certain door, or rarely used bulkhead. On their security checks, officers could uncover these security leaks, and properly secure them for you. Being informed about which cars belong in your driveway, helps us identify cars that don't belong, or that may be suspicious. It's just another way that we can increase security for our residents.
Like any other predator, burglars look for the easy target, and an empty house whose owners won't be home for weeks, is the perfect one. Burglars rarely select difficult targets. Why go through the trouble of alarms and locked doors, when there is an easier target down the road?
Before you head out for vacation, check out our "Vacation Tips" section for some great ideas on how to make your house a hard target. And remember, fill out one of our forms and send it in. There's nothing that's going to scare off a potential burglar more than a cop strolling up and down your street.
