With millions set to travel for Memorial Day, Columbus Police remind everyone of proper home safety tips

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – After seeing a record-low 23 million travelers in 2020, AAA is predicting a 60 percent increase in people taking a trip over the 2021 Memorial Day Weekend.

The Golden Triangle is within driving distance of popular destinations like Atlanta, the Gulf Coast and Nashville.

But as some get ready for potentially their first vacation since the pandemic, local law enforcement wants to make sure people haven’t forgotten how to keep their homes safe when they are away.

“Criminals, when people are out of town, they’re going to take advantage of that,” says Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton.

Chief Shelton says that he understands people are excited to get out to the beach or whatever destination they have planned, especially after a long quarantine. He just wants to make sure Mississippians remember their home safety basics.

“Make sure that your alarm is working, make sure it’s on,” he says. “If your neighbor is not going out of town, have your neighbor check on your house for you to make sure everything’s OK.”

From May 27 through May 31, AAA predicts more than 37 million people will travel 50 miles or more from their homes, 34 million by car.

Which means millions of empty homes.

“If the opportunity is greater, then we need to be more vigilant,” Chief Shelton says. “Because people know people are traveling, more people are going away.”

Chief Shelton says the number one safety precaution people must remember: don’t post those vacation pics.

“(If you) say, ‘I’m down in Florida on the beach having fun,’ and so the bad guy can say, ‘if you’re on the beach having fun, your house is open. So we might just want to pay you a visit,'” he explains. 

Instead of updating one’s Instagram story, Chief Shelton recommends checking the live feed of home security cameras like Ring or Nest.

“If you have that technology, I would suggest that you do that,” he says. “While you’re out, just periodically check your home video and make sure everything is going good around your house.”

But getting those vacation photos on the timeline can wait.

“Take pictures, have fun but wait till you’re back from vacation to post your videos,” the police chief cautions.

Other tell-tail signs of an empty house include a full mailbox and garbage bins left on the curb.