#61, Vacation Safety

“The days are long, but the years are short,” generally refers to the experience of parenting. However, as I write this, I am shocked to be looking down the barrel of July and seeing prime vacation season. Wasn’t it just New Year’s Eve a week or so ago?

As people prepare to travel, they juggle many tasks, including completing urgent workplace projects, planning an itinerary, coordinating pet care, and packing luggage. Given the number of distractions, it is not surprising that vacationers often forget to attend to the security of their homes and the belongings they plan to leave behind.

I believe travelers should wait until they return home before they share pictures and information on social media platforms about their vacation. “Having a great time at the Grand Canyon,” broadcasts a family is out of town, whereas “We had fun in Arizona last week. Enjoy our Grand Canyon photos,” conveys the same information without widely announcing the absence.

I frequently advise people that nosy neighbors are a terrific alarm system! Sharing travel plans and exchanging contact information with them is a good practice. Ask nearby residents to keep an eye on your place, and if you are comfortable, give a trusted neighbor a key to your home or the keypad code to your garage. In the event of a screaming smoke alarm, gas leak, or broken pipe, that person can grant access to emergency responders or repair workers. Neighbors can also check your mail, take packages off your porch, grab newspapers from your driveway, and return garbage bins to the side of your house after trash pick-up. When no one attends to these chores for several days, people with malicious intent may recognize an opportunity to break into an unoccupied residence.

Many properties have security cameras, such as Ring, Blink, Nest, or Arlo Pro. These systems require routine maintenance. Because they only work with steady access to power or working batteries, check that all is in order before you leave town. Likewise, if your system uses local storage, such as a flash drive, delete old clips to ensure you have enough available space to accommodate the length of your trip. If your camera is motion activated and delivers a live feed but does not store video, make sure you know how to take screenshots of any unusual activity.

Relatively speaking, home security systems are new technology. Have you thought through what you will do if you see suspicious activity at your residence in real time while you are away? How do you notify your law enforcement agency back home? Fortunately, all North Carolina call centers now use an integrated system, allowing dispatchers to efficiently route a 911 call placed anywhere in the state to the telecommunication center here in Orange County. However, if you are out of state, calling 911 will not help you reach anyone in this area. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to store the direct number for our dispatch center in your contacts. It is (919) 732-5063.

Our office provides two services of interest to vacationers. Upon request, and if not too busy with emergency calls, deputies will conduct either a “close patrol” or a “house check” of an Orange County property. During a close patrol, deputies will be in the vicinity of the identified address more often usual, perhaps providing periods of a stationary presence in the general area. When conducting house checks, deputies perform more detailed inspections by exiting their patrol vehicles and walking around the residence, physically ensuring doors and windows are secure. With either service, if the deputies discover any problems, they will call you or your emergency contact. If you would like to sign up for a close patrol or house check, please fill out the form available on our website, or call us at (919)245-2900. If possible, please arrange for this service three or more days before you leave for vacation.

We will do our best to keep your residence and belongings safe while you are away. We encourage you to also think about your personal safety while on vacation. Three important tips: make sure children know what to do if they get lost or separated from you, designate a specific person to watch kids around bodies of water, and diligently minimize distractions before driving on unfamiliar roads.

Please be careful, have fun, and bring home happy memories!

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