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The majority of residential break-ins occur during the prime vacation months of July and August. Getting a call from a neighbor, friend or law enforcement officer to inform you that your home has been burglarized can definitely ruin a vacation and possible prevent you from planning another. Preventing break-ins and other problems when you are away takes a minimal amount of planning and can increase your peace of mind greatly while you travel. Remembering to lock your windows and doors and maintaining a “lived in” look by using light timers are two practices that may prevent your home from being an easy target. We also encourage you to follow these tips from the Office of Attorney General Ashley Moody:

• Strive to make your home look as lived-in as possible while you're away.
• Don't broadcast your plans but do let your neighbors and local law enforcement know.
• Give your neighbors a spare key and an emergency telephone number so they are able to reach you.
• Arrange to have your mail and newspapers either stopped or picked up daily.
• Have someone mow your yard and/or rake the leaves so your house looks lived-in.
• Use automatic timers to turn on a radio and lights at different intervals to hide the fact you aren't home.
• Turn down the ringer on the telephone. An unanswered telephone is a dead give-away.
• Be sure you don't announce your absence on your answering machine message.
• Leave your blinds like you normally would if you were home. Only close them all the way if that is what you would normally do.
• Be sure to close and lock the garage as well as any storage sheds, gates, etc.
• Engrave all your valuables with your driver's license number. If possible videotape the contents of your home. Be sure to keep the video and the list of valuables in a safety deposit box.
• Ask your neighbor to occasionally park in your driveway. If you are leaving a vehicle parked outside, have the neighbor move it periodically so it looks as though you are home.
• Be sure someone knows your itinerary and your estimated time of arrival and return.

See more Crime Prevention Tips.