The holiday season is upon us and, while opportunities for burglaries can increase during this time, following safety tips can prevent holiday crime.
- Be extra cautious about locking windows, sliders, and doors when leaving for any length of time.
- Ask a neighbor or family member to watch your house if you’re traveling, and don’t forget to have mail and newspaper deliveries stopped.
- Indoor and outdoor lights should be on an automatic timer, and leave a radio or television on so the house looks and sounds occupied.
- Never keep gifts or valuable objects in plain view from any window of your home or car, and if a person knocks at your door and you don’t recognize them, don’t feel obligated to open your door.
- After the holidays, be sure to break down cardboard boxes from gifts for recycling so that a potential burglar does not know your home has a new computer, TV, video game system, etc.
- As always, call 911 immediately if you notice anything suspicious. The SRCC Patrol team will attempt to increase patrols over the next couple of months. Wave and say hello if you see us walking or driving by.
Our SRCC Neighborhood Watch and Patrol is a volunteer organization. If you are interested in protecting yourself or if you have been a victim of crime and want to help stop more of it from happening, we’d love to have you take part in our Neighborhood Watch Program. You can learn how to join by visiting the SRCC Neighborhood Watch & Patrol page under Current Issues on the SRCC Website, or contacting Raymond Sinatra at raymondsinatra@yahoo.com
—Raymond Sinatra