The Apopka police offer citizens holiday safety tips so they can have their happy holidays.
At home
- Make sure all doors and windows have secondary locks (window pins, deadbolts, dowels, etc.) and use them.
- Don’t hide spare keys in mailboxes or planters, or under doormats.
- Ensure that dark areas and entrances have outdoor lights that are turned on after dark or are activated by sensors.
- Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed so they do not conceal doors and windows. Remember, overgrown foliage can provide a hiding place for criminals.
- Place gifts where they can’t be seen from the outside.
- Consider safe deposit boxes for coin and stamp collections, seldom-worn jewelry, stock bonds, etc.
- Be sure to mail cards, checks or gift certificates from the post office or at a blue U.S. Postal Service collection box.
- Lock your vehicle and remove all the valuables. Yes, even in your driveway.
Strangers at your door
- Use caution anytime there is a stranger at your door.
- Be suspicious of unexpected sales calls or deliveries. Ask for identification.
- Be aware of scams that criminals commit to take advantage of people’s generosity during the holidays.
- Investigate charities before making donations. Ask how the funds will be used.
Leaving for the holidays
- Ask a trusted friend, neighbor or neighborhood watch member to watch your home.
- Use timers for lights and radios while you’re away.
- Remember to make arrangements for mail and newspapers.
After the holidays
- Don’t advertise expensive toys, electronics or other gifts received by the boxes left for garbage collections. Compress large boxes and place them in black garbage bags for pickup.
- Add new items to your home inventory. Take photos or video of all items of value in your home and list each item’s make, model, serial number and other information.
- Engrave new items to help identify them in the event they are stolen.
Avoid porch theft — five tips to protect your packages
- Network with neighbors.
- Have packages delivered to work.
- Leave specific drop-off instructions.
- Use a smart lock.
- Install security cameras.
Six ways to Grinch-proof your holiday light displays
- Shut down at night
- Set up surveillance
- Crime-proof your yard
- Consider bringing in valuable items at night.
- Stay connected
- Report, report, report
What to do if you’ve become a victim of a porch pirate
- Check with your delivery company to make sure your package was actually delivered.
- Know exactly what’s in the missing box.
- If you see the thief, pay attention to what his or her vehicle looks like and its license plate number. Second to that, get the thief’s physical description – gender, approximate height and weight and what they’re wearing – so you can tell an officer.
- Call 911 and ask for an officer to come to your home.
- If you have a security camera on your home, get a copy of the video to police. Ask your neighbors if their cameras captured the thief in action.
