With shorter daylight hours and the holidays fast approaching it is important to make sure that homeowners are staying up on their safety routines. Below are some good reminders on home and community safety:

 

• Check and change your batteries – Smoke detectors aren’t the only item in your home that need batteries changed. Outdoor cameras/doorbells, thermostats, and other devices should be checked and have their batteries changed if needed.

 

• Lights on – Leaving outdoor lights on serves as an important deterrent of crime, consider leaving porch and garage lights on at night. Other lights that can be useful include motion-activated lights for sides and rears of home. Many times these items can be set on timers to not be a nuisance.

 

• Garages – When possible leave vehicles in a garage and leave garage doors closed. Open garages are ripe for crimes of opportunity, ensure when you enter your home your garage door is closed behind you.

 

• Use your locks  – The simplest methods are often the most effective. Make sure that vehicles are locked at night as well as doors and windows.

 

• Remove packages from porches – With the holiday shopping season upon us more residents will be having home deliveries. Be aware of when items are delivering and try to make arrangements to have these items removed from porches as soon as possible. Many drivers will try to obscure deliveries by placing them behind pillars or decor on your porch so be aware when packages are delivered they may not always be placed where you expect.

 

• Keep your pets safe – Recently our community has had several pets get loose in the evening. Make sure you have a current photo of your pet and that they wear tags with up to date homeowner information or are microchipped for a quick reunion. Another option is an LED collar (like this) which can be easily put on your pet before letting them out in the evenings.

 

• Park vehicles carefully – Please ensure any vehicles parked along streets are parked facing the roadway appropriately. Also any vehicles parked in driveways should not block access to sidewalks.
  

  Thanks to all our neighbors for helping keep our community safe.