Help prevent burglaries during the summer months

This is the time of year when people will be taking vacation, heading to the lake, or taking a weekend camping trip. This is also a time of the year when burglaries begin to rise, and some of the reason is because of the unoccupied homes. There are several things that can be done to help secure a house while you are away.

The first thing that can be done is to make sure all the windows as well as the doors are secure. We often take reports and find that a back door or sliding door was overlooked and unlocked. Windows are often left unlocked in the summer because they are used more. Leaving some lights on throughout the house can also help. Many people turn all the lights off to save money on electricity, but having no lights on at all can make it easy for someone to drive by several nights in a row after dark and see that no one is home. Another great help can be neighbors. If you have neighbors that you trust, ask them to keep an eye on your home. Many of the calls we get involving suspicious activity are called in by watchful neighbors.

Media is also another area that people often overlook when taking trips. Posting pictures while on vacation or at the lake can alert people to the fact that you are away. Simply taking the pictures and waiting until you are home again to post them is a good idea. I talked to an officer from another agency who said they responded to a burglary where almost everything from the house was missing. During the investigation, they found the homeowner asked a friend on face book to go check on their house for them every morning because they would be away for some time. The friend checked on the house in the morning, but the burglars came during the night and loaded up the entire house.

You can also call the Vernon County Sheriff's Office and request that your home be placed on an extra patrol check for the time you will be gone. If possible, place outside lights around your house since this can be a very good deterrent. There are also a lot of inexpensive things you can purchase that can help, such as timers that plug into your wall and turn lamps or other lights on and off at certain times of the day. They even sell pug-in adapters that can be controlled from your cell phone!

Although we can never control what someone else is going to do, we can still take some basic steps to help decrease the chances of becoming a victim of a burglary. Working together, and helping watch out for each other will make us stronger, and it will make our community safer.