March Madness and Spring Break can both make for a good time. Keep the madness on the basketball court and out of your home by taking some simple steps to keep your home safe and secure while you are away:
•Lock all doors and windows. This may seem obvious but take the time to make sure all points of entry to your home are locked. This includes the door from your garage to your home.
•Ask a neighbor or neighbors to keep an eye on your home while you're gone.
•Sign-up for a vacation watch with our department. When time permits we will make sure everything is secure. http://www.fitchburgwi.gov/1089/Vacation-Watch
•Leave exterior lights on or utilize motion detecting lights.
•Leave interior lights on and utilize timers.
•If you have an alarm system make sure it is activated. Call your alarm company and inform them of your vacation plans. Provide them with numbers of people who will be checking on your house.
•Leave a phone number with neighbors where you can be reached in case of an emergency or break-in.
•Don't hide keys outside your home. Burglars know where to look. Leave a key with a friend or neighbor.
•Close blinds.
•Stop mail, paper delivery and package delivery. You can request a mail hold on-line. UPS and FedEx also allow you to stop package delivery on-line.
•Park cars in your garage.
•If you cannot park your car in your garage, remove valuables as well as your garage door opener from your car. Make sure it is locked.
•Have a neighbor take care of your trash & recycling containers. Don't leave them on the curb.
•If you have highly valuable items, utilize a safe or better yet a safe deposit box at another location.
•Don't post your vacation photos or talk about your travel plans online until you return.
•Inventory your valuables. Include a description, serial number and photo. In the event a burglary occurs we can more easily track down your property.
If you're not headed out of town on vacation please pay extra attention to suspicious activity in your neighborhood this week. If you see anything out of the ordinary, please call us immediately. We would rather check on a situation and determine it is nothing suspicious than find out about it days or weeks later after a crime has been committed.
Have a safe and happy Spring Break!