Madison County Sheriff's Office Issues Holiday Safety Tips

EDWARDSVILLE - The Madison County Sheriff, John Lakin, would like to extend his best wishes during the holiday season and wants everyone to remain safe during this time. There are some simple steps to remember to keep you, your family, and property safe to prevent you from being a victim of a crime.

1. Make Sure Gifts Aren’t Visible From Outside

2. Watch What You Post on Social Media

Potential burglars look through posts seeking out information on the types of gifts people have gotten, or when they plan to leave their homes for Christmas shopping or for vacation.

3. Be Careful About Disposing of Packaging

Don’t leave large electronic boxes at the curb. This shows what items you may have acquired recently.

4. Don’t Run External Lights through a Window

5. Make Sure Your Home is Well-Lit

6. Put Your Lights on a Timer

7. Make Use of Motion Sensors

Remember to change out batteries as on the sensors.

8. Be Wary of Door to Door Donation Seekers

Do not give out any personal information, and don’t give out any money without properly ascertaining their credentials.

9. When leaving a store shopping, have your keys to your vehicle in your hand and make sure you park in a well-lit spot.

10. Secure Your Home and vehicles

· Park in a garage if you have access to one

· Keep your vehicles locked with the alarm on (if equipped).

· Do not keep valuables inside your vehicle

· If possible use cameras to monitor your residence and/or vehicles. Make sure these devices are functioning and have fully charged batteries

· Do not keep extra keys inside your vehicles

More like this:

Related Video:

Print Version