Protecting your home while on vacation

Protecting your home while on vacation

By DARALYN SCHOENEWALD
Scripps Howard News Service
2008-06-17 00:00:00

It's summer time, and the pickings are easy -- for burglars.

Most security and insurance experts agree that burglaries tend to
increase during July and August, when most people go on vacation.

The burglars know the signs that let them know a family isn't at home:
a porch light left on all day, newspapers piling up in the driveway or
a mailbox that is stuffed full, said Chris McGoey, a longtime security
consultant, trainer and speaker.

Those are some of the more obvious signs. But there are things
burglars look for that may not be so obvious.

Leaving the blinds closed so nobody can see in while you're away is a
double-edged sword, said McGoey, who also runs a security-education
Web site called Crime Doctors. While a potential burglar can't see
your valuables, closed blinds and curtains are also a sign that tells
him no one is home.

The good news is there are a number of things you can do to protect
your house or apartment while you are away.

-- Won't you be my neighbor? "The best method is to seek help from
adjoining neighbors in watching your home and making it look occupied.
Have them park a car in your driveway, raise the window shades
occasionally, put out garbage cans on schedule, etc.," McGoey said in
an e-mail interview.

-- Lockdown: Ensure that all door and window locks are working
properly. Rose Rougeau, a spokeswoman for AAA Texas, suggested
investing in slide-lock protection for sliding glass doors, which are
a frequent entry point for burglars.

"Garage windows and doors should also be secured," she said.

-- Remote control: "Consider buying a light timer set for every
evening," Rougeau said. "Setting up multiple timers in alternating
rooms works best."

Timers for your radio are also a good idea, she said.

-- Read it later: McGoey and Rougeau both suggested temporarily
canceling newspaper subscriptions and postponing mail delivery to
deter a burglar.

-- Rearrangement: Rougeau also suggests moving electronic equipment
away from the windows so it won't be easily visible, and arranging for
lawn service if you will be away for more than a week.

Protecting your home from burglars while you're out of town doesn't
mean you are free from them while vacationing. Thieves are known to
target hotel rooms, McGoey said. Some tips:

-- Aim high: He suggests choosing a newer hotel and requesting a room
on an upper floor to reduce crime exposure.

"Ground-floor rooms are more vulnerable to crime problems because of
access and ease of escape," he said in a Crime Doctor article. "In a
high-rise building, rooms above the fifth-floor are usually safer from
crime than those below because of lesser accessibility and ease of
escape."

-- You are not alone: Women traveling alone or with young children
should use car-valet services and try to avoid hotel parking lots.
They should also ask a bellman or desk clerk to be an escort to their
room, McGoey said.

-- Anybody there? Putting a "do not disturb" sign on the hotel-room
doorknob, leaving a TV or radio on loud enough to hear through the
door and leaving a small light on at all times will help deter a
potential burglar, he added.

McGoey said he has heard hundreds of stories about how a home burglary
wiped out years of records on home computers and ended up in the loss
of irreplaceable items, and ultimately left the family feeling unsafe.

"Some families move after a burglary for fear the intruders will
return," he said.

(schoenewaldd(at)reporternews.com.)

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