Five Ways to Protect Your Home While You're Away for the Holidays

Traditionally, the holiday season is a time of good-natured giving and receiving of gifts and other tokens of appreciation. It’s also a time when thieves take what does not belong to them.

But police often see an uptick in burglaries and break-ins to houses and vehicles this time of year, as many locals leave town to visit loved ones in other cities states or countries.

Just because a home is unoccupied during the holidays does not mean it needs to be unprotected. 

But Westwood residents who plan on traveling through the holidays can add some security to their homes by completing a "Home Vacancy" form, which is available at the Westwood Police Department, or online at WestwoodPD.org by following the Forms, Permits and Application section.

"This form has some information relative to emergency notification and protocol associated with leaving your home unattended," .

5 Tips for Keeping Your House Safe During Your Holiday Travels

1. Don’t let mail or newspapers pile up. Residents can have mail held at the or ask neighbor to come and collect.

2. If you have an alarm system, set it.

3. Lock the doors and windows, and vehicles in the driveway.

4. If possible, put interior and exterior lights on a timer to give the appearance that someone is home. Putting the TV on a timer can be effective, as well.

5. And, most importantly, Communicate with neighbors who could keep an eye on the house and report any suspicious activity.

As a bonus, residents in Westwood should also follow on how to maintain safe Christmas trees.