ROBBINSDALE CRIME PREVENTION ASSOCIATION
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
If you are going to be out of town for the holidays, the following should be considered at your residence:
Make sure to have a family member or neighbor remove mail from your mailbox while you are away from
home. Removing mail will send a message that someone may be living at the residence and are not away
for the holidays.
Make sure that any snow accumulation is removed from the driveways and sidewalks. This effort also sends a
message that someone is living inside of the residence. If possible, make arrangements to have any snow
removed.
A newspaper subscription should also be stopped to the residence while away from home. A box full of
uncollected newspapers also shows would-be criminals that the house is vacant over the holidays.
If you have a home security alarm, make sure that the system is activated and in working order while you will
be away.
Inform a responsible neighbor that you will be out of town for the holidays and if they can keep their “eyes and
ears” on your property while you are away. This will ensure that someone is watching your property and
reporting any activity to the police accordingly.
You can also inform the Robbinsdale Police that you will be out of town so extra patrols will be arranged to go
past your residence.
If you have interior lights with timers they should be set to turn on during the evenings so it appears that
someone is at the residence. If you do not have a timer, lights can be left on inside while you are gone.
Make sure that any motion-activated lights on the exterior of the property are activated and working properly.
Adequate lighting can be a successful deterrent to would-be criminals.
Ensure that all exterior doors and windows to your property are locked and secured prior to leaving. An open
or unlocked door is very inviting to criminals.
If you have an attached garage, make sure that the interior door is loced and secured. Many criminals will gain
access to a service door and find the interior door unlocked.
Make sure that any vehicles left in the driveway or garage are locked and valuables have been removed. Theft
is a crime of opportunity and by removing expensive items from vehicles makes them less tempting to would-be
criminals.
After the holidays, make sure the boxes for those big ticket items are collapsed and discarded so it does not
advertise to anyone driving by that you got the 60” plasma screen TV for Christmas.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Officer Ryan Seibert at 763-531-1220.
Holiday Considerations |
