As residents prepare to gather around their Christmas trees, the Starkville Police Department has some helpful tips on how to keep both families and residencies safe.
SPD Public Information officer Brandon Lovelady said for residents to make arrangements prior to going out of town, which include ideas like having someone check in on their residence while they are gone, like a friend or neighbor.
"You know what looks out of place in your neighborhood before I do," Lovelady said. "Us as a team are the best prevention of crime."
Lovelady said SPD offers a "Vacation Home Check" service for residents to check on their homes daily to determine everything looks normal.
Through this service, officers will check on homes at least one time a day until the homeowner returns. The officer will walk around the residence and make sure the home is secure and other objects in place.
If an emergency does arise, the homeowner or the emergency contact listed on the form will be notified immediately.
Those looking to take advantage of these services can go to the city's website and download the "Vacation Home Check" form, fill it out and submit it to SPD. When homeowners return to their homes, they need to contact SPD to close out the application.
SPD Lieutenant of the Investigation division Tom Roberson said there are some other ways to protect your homes over the holidays which many people overlook.
“Don’t allow mail or newspapers or things of that nature to pile up, so that it gives someone a hint that someone’s not home,” Roberson said. “Basically what we ask is that everybody be proactive and take the steps in order to protect themselves as much as possible.”
Other tips Roberson and Lovelady included were leaving lights on in the house, alarm systems, timed lights and securing all doors and windows.
"You don't want it to look obviously like no one is there," Lovelady said.
With residents receiving and shopping for Christmas gifts, Roberson said if someone was to purchase a new television or other equipment, not to leave the new boxes of the product in the street. He said this could mark you as a target for someone looking to steal.
“Don’t leave things of value in the open, whether it be outside your home in your garage, carport or in your vehicle,” Roberson said. “Not leaving those exposures out there that make someone want to come into your home.”
For those preparing to leave their homes, Roberson said to take pictures of all electronics with a serial number. Those electronics can include guns, cameras, laptops and televisions.
He said this will help SPD locate a stolen item faster through a national database, see if someone is trying to pawn the item or if there is one found while on patrol.
Also, Roberson said to take a quick video of rooms before a person leaves their home. He said by doing so, it will help residents notice if something is misplaced, or has been moved. Many times, Roberson said if people think something was just moved and they move it back it could hinder the ability to retrieve fresh prints.
“It protects any possible evidence we might have,” Roberson said.
For those who have iPads, iPhones and laptops with tracking devices, Roberson said to have those activated.
He said the tracking help immensely with SPD retrieving the stolen object.
For those traveling, Roberson said not to leave vulnerable items in their car and to not put themselves in areas they are unfamiliar with or that could be questionable.
“There’s a lot of people that prey on good people,” Roberson said. If people are looking to assist someone on the side of the road or a gas station, he recommends letting them know you can call 911 and get them the proper help for their situation.
Lovelady said when people are shopping this Christmas season to always park in a well lit area. He also said to make sure to keep any items of value out of sight when leaving a car unattended.
"Try to keep your bags with you and only put things in your vehicle when you're moving to another location," Lovelady said.
SPD will continue its normal patrols and is on the lookout in areas that may have less traffic due to the holidays to ensure the safety of homes and apartments.