Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department offers vacation security checks to residents. Officers will do a periodic check of the exterior of your home while you are away.

Q. What is a House Check?
A: Your house will be checked by an Officer every other day. This, of course, depends on the manpower and availability of Officers.

Q. What does the Officer do when checking my house?
A: The Officer will walk around the residence to ensure the house is secured and there are no signs of forced entry. They will also be looking for any signs that unwanted persons, or vehicles have been there. They will watch for things that may seem out of the ordinary. The Officer will log the times of the check in their activity log.

Q. What happens if something is wrong?

A: The person(s) you list as an emergency contact will be notified, most likely you will also be notified immediately afterwards. Don't forget to give us your cell phone number in case of an emergency.

With the summer vacation season upon us the NLCRPD reminds everyone to have a safe and relaxing vacation. To increase relaxation please consider these home security tips while on vacation. Take the suggested following steps to reduce the chance of being victimized by crime.

Put a hold on the delivery of your mail, or ask someone to collect it for you (same goes for any packages that might be coming your way)

Put a hold on the delivery of your newspapers

Turn off lights and turn on timer for lights

Unplug electronics

While it seems like common sense, be sure to lock every single possible entry to your home, including deadbolts. While you may lock the main doors when you’re gone at work, there are surely windows and/or doors (such as into the garage or a second-floor deck) that usually stay unlocked or un-deadbolted. Before you leave
for a vacation though, go through the house and lock absolutely every window and every door.

DON’T leave a message on your answering machine saying you are on vacation. D

DO examine your house from the street and make sure no valuables, like expensive electronics or artwork, are visible from the street. If a passerby can see your belongings, so can criminals.

DON’T post the details of your vacation for the whole world to see. Refrain from discussing your trip on social networking sites. It’s like setting up a sign letting criminals know your house is ripe for the picking!