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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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An unkempt lawn is a signal that homeowners may be away. Before leaving for vacation, remember to leave your home with that lived-in look by mowing the lawn and trimming the bushes. If possible, hire a lawn service – or a neighbor – to care for your yard while away. (File photo / The Spokesman-Review)
Richard Belson Special to Travel
An unkempt lawn is a signal that homeowners may be away. Before leaving for vacation, remember to leave your home with that lived-in look by mowing the lawn and trimming the bushes. If possible, hire a lawn service – or a neighbor – to care for your yard while away. (File photo / The Spokesman-Review)

When planning a trip this summer, remember that absence makes your home a prime target for thieves.

• The safest, most secure way to keep thieves out is to hire a house sitter. Perhaps a neighbor or your usual babysitter is looking for a getaway from daily routines, too. This is a great, low-cost way to make sure your home has regular traffic, lights turning on and off, and someone collecting the mail routinely.

• For added security, a home with an electronic alarm or security system offers you peace of mind. Numerous local, reputable security and alarm specialists would be happy to answer your specific security questions and offer a package catered to your home and financial situation.

• If you plan to be away for more than a few days, a quick visit to your local post office will put a temporary stop on your mail delivery. A mailbox bulging with letters and magazines is one of the first signs thieves look for in an easy-target home. Resuming delivery and picking up your held mail is as easy as making another speedy stop at that same post office.

• It’s also a good idea to hire a lawn-maintenance service, or a neighbor, to keep the yard neat and trimmed while you’re away. Not only will this make for happy neighbors, but it, too, will give the impression that someone is home.

• Inform your neighbors that you will be away, when you are leaving, when you will return and where you are going. Leave emergency contact numbers and contacts for nearby family or friends in case of emergency. If there is any questionable behavior inside your home, there will be someone on speed-dial ready to lend a hand.

• Light timers give the illusion that someone is home, and are a cheap, simple addition to the security of any house, even if you’re simply at the office working late.

• High-tech types may want to use some of the new online, computer-operated home controllers. Not only can you turn lights on and off from an Internet-accessible remote location, you can do so whenever you please. Webcams also can be integrated, but seriously … you’re on vacation … do you really want to be obsessing in front of a computer?

• Finally, remember the basics. Lock windows and doors, set your alarm if you have one, use photocell sockets on outdoor lights, keep the path to your doors free of rubbish and overgrown greenery so intruders won’t have a place to hide, and don’t leave “hidden” keys in easy-access locations. Important identity and financial papers, valuables and other irreplaceable items should be locked in a safe, not hidden under the mattress or in the freezer.

• In Spokane, Vacation Home Check, a service run by senior volunteers trained through the Spokane Police Department, is available free for up to 20 days to residents of single-family dwellings. They need a few days’ notice to coordinate routes. Volunteers stop by once daily to make sure everything is secure. Their number is 477-5665.

For more information to keep your home safe, visit the Spokane Police Department’s Web site at www.spokanepolice.org/crime_prev1.htm