If a home is going to be empty for the winter or even just the holiday season, here are some suggestions from police officers for keeping that property secure and discouraging intruders:

• Sign the house up for security checks from the local police department. Generally, the officers assigned to the area will keep an eye on the property at no charge.
• If there is a security system, make sure the security company knows the house will be empty and has an emergency contact.
• Stop the newspaper and mail. Ask neighbors to keep an eye out for other unsolicited paper that may gather on the driveway or in the mailbox.
• Arrange for a snow-removal or lawn care service.
• If the property is winterized, post that information where it can be seen from the inside, but not the outside.
• Remove anything from the house that is obviously valuable.
• Put the lights on timers. Don’t leave lights on all night because that will alert intruders that the house is unoccupied.
• Make sure all the windows and doors are locked.
• Take a video of the house to make damages and theft easier to prove.

Source: The Charlotte Observer, Dan Tierney, Erica Beshears, and Lena Warmack (12/14/06)