There’s a free, easy way to keep your house and belongings safe while you’re away in some parts of Arizona. For residents on long vacations, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the Oro Valley Police Department, both located outside of Tucson, are providing free house checks. During a busy time of year when more deliveries, more travel, and longer nights can provide criminals with an opportunity, the goal is to reduce package theft and break-ins.
“If you remember the movie Home Alone, all it is is just people who see an opportunity.” stated Oro Valley Police Sergeant Mike Duran. This program makes your house appear to be watched by using visible, sporadic check-ins. For enrollment, basic property information, and a list of permitted visitors, locals can get in touch with their local station.
How the free house checks work
The idea is that consistent presence discourages criminal activity. There are more packages arriving, more people traveling, and more darkness during the holidays. “That gives them a lot of time to plan and do some criminal activities -breaking into a house, start taking packages off of the front porch, whatever it might be.” Duran clarified. Departments use a rotating schedule to check homes at random times in order to combat that. “Well, when you have a random routine schedule where a police officer or a police car might just show up, it’s a little less appetizing towards this criminal side.”
This is what takes place when a check is made. While you’re away, a departmental team comes to your property. According to Duran, “Our volunteers from our community volunteer program will come out to each of those houses on a rotating schedule and check around the property.” “They usually start by knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell making sure no one’s home, and then they’ll walk around the property.” There is a clear next step if something seems strange, like broken locks or a suspicious incident. “If there’s anything that seems like it might have criminal aspect to it, they’ll notify the police officer. They have a police radio.”
Who can sign up—and what you’ll need
If you leave inside the seven area, you can call your local station. They will ask for basic information about your propriety and a list of authorised people that are allowed to be at your place while you’re gone. The list will help avoiding any confusions, and distinguishing that friend helping you water your plants to someone who shouldn’t be there. You don’t have to coordinate a thing because the rounds are rotate and don’t have a fixed schedule.
Unpredictability plays in your favor and makes it difficult for someone to “study” routines.
This check-ups are like an extra layer of protection. But you should still think about the basic protection: Schedule deliveries, ask a friend to pick up packages or use a doorbell with a camera. The goal is to prevent before regretting. In Duran’s words: “It’s one more opportunity that as a community we try to prevent the crime before it ever happens,”.
A safer holiday, working as a team
This free service is a practical way to protect your home, and your packages on a month where there’s a big delivery activity. Visible volunteers, and nearby patrols will be close if something smells strange. When a house is been watched, thieves usually look for another target. With a call, a short list of authorized people and some data from your home, you add a strong barrier while you are away.
Preventative mindset and sense of community are the bigger values of the program.