Local sheriff discusses protecting property when going out of town
CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s the time of year when many people are taking off work and heading out of town.
However, while you’re out of town, it’s important to take precautions to keep your home and property safe.
Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott says that burglars are criminals of opportunity, always looking for a chance.
“They’re always trolling, and they watch social media just like everybody else does,” Scott said. “They know when people go on vacation, they actually know when they’re working, you know, when they’re gone during the day. ”
Sheriff Scott says social media can be a good thing, but don’t share too much of your business, including when you’ll be out of town and your home will be vacant. Publicizing that you’re out of town can make your home more vulnerable. But there are extra precautions you can take to increase the odds of burglars staying away, and you can enjoy your vacation.
“In our area, we really push that if you’re going to be out of town for any length of time, even just for a couple of days, if you’ll notify us, we will actually go by and check the home while you’re gone,” Scott said. “We also encourage people, first of all, to use your alarms for your house. We recommend camera systems, which a lot of the public is now doing, and let your neighbors know. Let your neighbors know to go by there and keep a check, and get your mail off the porch, and just kind of keep it from looking like nobody is home.”
Sheriff Scott says homes that are not in sight of their neighbors can be slightly more vulnerable.
“If you’ve got gates that you can close, if you’ve got dogs, for example, in the yard, all this helps deter,” Scott said. “But again, it’s not only just a house, you know, the criminal, he’s an opportunist. If he sees a four-wheeler, a side-by-side, or something that’s sitting out in the shed next to the house, it’s not uncommon for them to try to disguise themselves and still go ahead and commit burglary.”
Overall, camera systems, alarms, neighbors looking out for each other, and being mindful of what you share online can all help curb the crime.
“That’s a person’s right to be able to go on social media to post. We understand that. But from our side of it, we just want you to understand that you increase the risk of something happening when you do that,” Scott said. “So again, if you just use some good common safety tips when you’re traveling, and again, if you’ve got neighbors, somebody that can help watch, but security systems are really a good investment for your home.”
If you do have law enforcement checking on your home while you’re out of town, make sure you leave an emergency contact number.
Sheriff Scott says if you ever are a victim of a burglary, call 911 before you even start going through the house to see if anything is missing, that way it doesn’t interfere with the investigation.
