The holiday season is a popular time for people to travel to see family or go on vacations.

Jefferson Police Chief Mark Clouse says the police department offers a service called the “Vacation Home Checklist” where people can call dispatch and request that service if they want. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the information they need is where you live, how long you are gone and if there are lights on at the residence, along with any other helpful information.

“And some people will have people come and just check their property, maybe take care of the house plants, or whatever, so we ask who those people are. So the officers, if we’re out doing our checklist and we see a vehicle there we have some information as to who is supposed to be there and who isn’t.”    

Clouse offers another helpful tip to keep your home safe when you are on vacation, which is avoiding posting on social media.

“And I just would like for people to think about that for a minute. If you’re in Florida and you’re posting that daily on social media, it’s not hard to figure out that your house is empty. (I) Encourage people to wait until you’re home from vacation, maybe for some of those posts.  

Clouse encourages people that if they see something suspicious happening to call the police department or 911 for assistance.