Keeping your house safe when no one is home

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It’s that time of year when families are hitting the highways and friendly skies for vacation. 

We’ve learned that burglars can use your time away from home as an opportunity to break-in to your house. 

According to Safewise, the majority of home burglaries take place during the daylight house, not at night. That’s because most people are at work or school, which reduces the chance someone will notice a stranger creeping around. 

“Always daytime, I don’t ever think I ever committed a crime at night,” said a prisoner who served time for breaking into homes. 

24-Hour News 8 has compiled information from a prisoner in the past who shared tips on how to protect your home from a burglary. 

Lock your doors

One tip sounds simple but many simply forget: lock your doors. 

“It’s amazing to walk up to a door and knock. No one answers, you turn the knob and it’s like ‘welcome to my home,’” said the prisoner. 

Those who have committed break-ins before say once inside, one room is usually the number one target. 

“You’d be surprised what people will have in their bedroom,” said the prisoner. 

Make security system signs visible

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology added that about 60 percent of convicted burglars stated the presence of a security system influenced their decision to target another home.Simply put, you should turn on your alarms and make sure home security signs are visible around your property. 

The City of Fishers is taking home security to another level. The department calls it vacation watch. If you know you will be away from your home on an extended trip, an officer will check on your house. You can find out more here.

“During that time, we will make periodic checks on their home to make sure there is no damage to the home. Once they fill out the application we can contact them or a keyholder,” said Fishers Police Department Sgt. Tom Weger.

Residents in Fishers are taking advantage of the vacation watch. 

“We want to make it unattractive for criminals to come into Fishers,” said Weger. 

Keep your mailbox empty

A full mailbox can indicate that no one is home. One solution is to ask a trusted neighbor to pick up your mail, or suspend your mail delivery for a period of time. 

All of the tips are designed to keep uninvited gates out of your home.