Police encourage protecting your home before leaving for summer vacation
TRI-CITIES, Wash. -- As more people hit the road and head out to their vacation destinations, police said they see a slight uptick in burglaries over the summer.
"If you leave your garbage cans out and your garbage cans are full. If you leave too many newspapers laying around," said Sgt. Brad Gregory with the Pasco Police Department.
Police said those are tell-tale signs you're not home.
"If you go on vacation, you're going to leave the house for a while and you need to make sure that you take care of your place. Take care of your mail. Have a neighbor watch your house. Keep the lights on and off so it looks like someone's home. Don't make it look like nobody is home," said Gregory.
Officials said it's even a good idea to have a neighbor or friend mow your front lawn if you're going to be gone long enough. Over-grown grass lets others know you haven't been home.
Other things police said you should do before you leave- lock your house doors and your car doors.
"You shouldn't have a remote control in your car if you park outside because all somebody has to do is break the window in your car or open your car if it's unlocked and they're inside of your house," added Gregory.
Authorities said another thing you can do to protect yourself is invest in motion sensor lights and maybe even a security camera.
Officers said they do patrol neighborhoods looking for suspicious activity, but in the end, it's up to neighbors to help keep their community safe.
"Don't expect us to catch the guy doing bad things in your neighborhood. As a neighbor and as a friend, everyone should be the eyes and ears of the police department," said Gregory.
Police said another big mistake people make is posting where and when they are going to be away all over social-media. Officials encourage you to not be so public about your vacation before-hand.
