SPOKANE, Wash. — As you head out the door to go home for the holidays, the Spokane Police Department has some advice on ways to prevent your home from being burglarized while you are gone.
There are two main types that homeowners need to be aware of when it comes to burglars.
First, the person may know you and is waiting to see that you are gone. If they follow you on social media, they may check your feed to see if you have posted while you are gone before they will break into your home.
Because of this, SPD urges people to post after their vacation to prevent the risk of home burglaries.
Secondly, most burglars drive around neighborhoods looking for signs of nobody being home. Some of those signs can be mail that is piling up outside, or a house that has no lights or noises from inside for multiple days in a row.
Either way, SPD recommends having someone you trust check on your home a few times while you are gone. You can have them pick up the mail and bring it inside or even ask them to turn on the tv or lights for a while.
Also, neighbors or close friends could also potentially notice a theft before you do. The sooner law enforcement knows that a crime has taken place, the more likely they are to catch a suspect.
You could also take pictures of the inside of your home before you leave. That way, if someone does break in, you can show what was taken so law enforcement can work to get it back to you.
If you have deadbolts, use them. If you have lights with timers, use them. The harder it is to get in your home the less likely it is to get robbed and the more likely the perpetrator is to get caught.
Lieutenant Terry Preuninger says that, “Most homes can be broken into if a person has the time and resources to go at it, but you are mitigating that by using better lights and locks, and letting people you trust know you’re gone so that they can pay attention.”
