The Switzerland County Sheriff’s Office offers the following tips for keeping your residence safe when you are away for vacation.
- Don’t forget to lock your doors and windows behind you when you leave your house.
- Be careful about who you tell of your vacation plans or who may be listening when you are discussing the plans with someone else. This includes being aware of who may be watching as you load your luggage into the car.
- Do not post your vacation plans on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc…) Do not post pictures of you vacationing to social media sites until AFTER you have returned from vacation. Burglars monitor these sites and could burglarize your residence while you are away.
- Remember, burglars find house keys easily when they are hidden under doormats, above the door ledge, or in a potted plant.
- Stop all deliveries while away, or better yet, allow the deliveries to continue and have a trusted neighbor pick up your newspapers and packages. (Sometimes delivery persons are less than honest or the information about your absence gets into the wrong hands.)
- Try to maintain the “lived in” look of your house while you are away. Use timers on lights and turn the ring tone down on your phones. (A ringing phone that goes unanswered can alert a burglar to the absence of any occupants inside the home.) Arrange for a trusted neighbor to do some yard upkeep or occasionally park a car in your driveway.
- Leave emergency contact numbers with someone you trust.
- You may call the Switzerland County Sheriff’s Office at (812) 427-3636 and request a vacation patrol of your home. Keep in mind that these home checks are on a “as time permits basis”. In most cases, a good neighbor keeping an eye on your home is much more effective than any intermittent law enforcement patrol.