Going on Vacation? Keep Your Home Safe While You're Away

Last week was spring break at the University of Maryland, meaning it was an especially popular time for criminals to break into empty houses. According to crime data supplied by the Prince George’s County Police Department, there were 13 instances of breaking and entering (known as "B&E") in College Park between March 21 and 27, a considerable increase from the typical week.

With the weather warming up (in theory), more people will be leaving their homes for vacation. Coming back from a week off is tough enough without returning to find your window forced open and your electronics missing. Patch asked Dist. 1 Commander Maj. Hector Velez what residents should do to keep their home safe while they’re away.

First of all, it’s not hard for criminals to discern whether anyone is home, Velez said. Overgrown grass, piles of newspapers, and the absence of any lights – porch or indoor – are easy indicators that a home is vacant.

The best way to combat these inevitable signs that you’re away is to have a trusted neighbor destroy the evidence. Have them pick up your newspapers and turn on the porch light at night, Velez said. Does your trusted neighbor have a car? Even better. Have them park it in your driveway.

That said, even the most savvy vacationers can’t always prevent theft. That’s why Velez also recommends that you get your valuables engraved with a serial number, or, for items that already have a serial number, write it down. This won’t help much if the burglar takes takes your flat screen T.V. home and uses it him or herself. But pawn shops keep serial numbers stored in a database, making it relatively easy for police to track down your stuff in the event that they pawn it. 

Unfortunately, Velez said, people often don’t take precautions with serial numbers until it’s too late. Though there’s not much a person can do once their home has been broken into, the good news is that Prince George’s County police are quite adept at catching burglars. A few weeks ago, Dist. 1 police made 13 B&E arrests in the span of one week, Velez said. 

Often, a whole string of B&E cases can be solved with just one arrest.

“Typically, there’s only a few people responsible for the majority of the break-ins,” Velez said. “If they make one or two mistakes, they’re usually tied to quite a number of break-ins.”

So there you have it. Before you go away on vacation, ask a neighbor keep an eye on your house, and copy down the serial numbers on anything you’d be upset if you found missing. 

Oh, and lock your doors.