Tampa Police Can Check Your Home When You're Away

Going out of town and want to make sure your home is secure while you’re not there?

If you’re looking for piece of mind during your vacation, the Tampa Police Department’s Vacation Watch Program could be for you.

This free service is available to all South Tampa residents and allows a zone officer to check your home during his or her tour of duty.

“They often make sure the doors and windows are not left open,” said Lisa Timmer, TPD’s Neighborhood Affairs Liaison. “If there are items in plain view—like newspapers in the driveway—they will place them in a location where it is less conspicuous that the homeowner is not picking them up.”

In one particular case, the Vacation Watch Program is credited with preventing a home burglary.

“During one of the checks, one of our sergeants noticed that the back door slider was open and a burglar was in fact prepping the items for a later pick up,” Timmer said. “Although the burglar was not caught in the act, it is believed that this check prevented the homeowner from losing the items that were placed at the door side and perhaps even more. In this case, (the) homeowner was immediately notified and they arranged for 24-hour security with a security company until they could return home and properly re-secure the home.”

Last year, thousands of residents used the Vacation Watch Program, Timmer said.

Ann Diller used the Vacation Watch Program when she went away for Thanksgiving in 2011.

“I received a call from Tampa Police Department Officer Craven letting me know that I had left our van unloved in our driveway,” she said in this blog post on New Tampa Patch: TPD's Vacation Watch Program Offers Peace of Mind. “He said that everything looked OK and that he had locked the van for me.”

“All homeowners should utilize this program because it places more marked units within the community—therefore deterring crime.”

To request a Vacation Watch, call Timmer at 813-931-6541, or email her at Lisa.Timmer@tampagov.net. You can also download the Vacation Watch Form.

Here are some other tips from TPD:

• Keep garage doors closed and locked.
• Keep valuables out of vehicles.
• Report suspicious behavior by calling 9-1-1 or Non-Emergency Dispatch at 813-231-6130.