How to Protect Your Home While on Vacation: Hinsdale Police

If you want to keep you home safe while away on vacation, the Hinsdale Police Department have a few words of advice for you. Follow these tips to prevent any unwanted intrusions and thefts:

• The #1 prevention tip is to make your house look "lived in" when you’re away. This means not letting items pile up in the mailbox or on the porch. It sends the message that no one is home or watching the residence.

• Arrange to have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail, newspapers and garbage cans. They live in your neighborhood and know what looks suspicious in the area.

• Make arrangements with trusted friends, neighbors or family to shovel the driveway and maintain the property.

• Set automatic timers for interior and exterior lights, radio and TVs. Turn the ringer down on the phone. A ringing phone alerts others that no one is home.

• Leave your window shades in a "normal" position, or have your house watcher or housesitter move the window shade positioning throughout your vacation or your time away from home. Never close the blinds.

• Lock your valuables in a safe deposit box or fire safe. Document all valuables via videotape and place this and important serial numbers in a safe deposit box as well.

• Notify the police department and request a "Vacation Watch."

• Lock all ladders, lawn supplies, etc., in the shed or garage and make sure your garage is secured at all times.

• Take your garage door openers out of your vehicles. Remove important papers and documents with personal information on them. Have vehicles moved on occasion, so as to not be parked in one spot all the time.

• Make sure your burglar and fire alarms are in working condition. Test them with the alarm company and make sure your alarm company has an updated call list.

• Secure your windows by "pinning" them and place a security bar in the track of your sliding glass doors.

• Leave emergency contact information with the police or a trusted neighbor.

• If you see a suspicious person or vehicle please don’t hesitate to notify the police by calling 911.

• Please close and lock your garage doors and any external doors.

Recent home burglaries reported in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills involved an unlocked window or door that the offender used to get inside the house.

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