Tulsa Police Stress Importance Of Home Security During Holidays

There are a lot of things you can do to protect your home as you head out of town for the holidays like buying cameras, leaving lights on, or even telling neighbors to check on your home. Security companies say sales for security cameras and alarms skyrocket around the holidays every year.

Tulsa Police says the key is to not make your home an easy target.

"They’re just opportunists so make that opportunity very hard for them and they’ll move on," says Sgt. Shane Tuell.

Sgt. Tuell says the Tulsa Police Department responds to a lot of burglaries around the holidays. He says most of the time, burglars just drive around and look for different clues like a dark home, a driveway that hasn’t been shoveled, or even a full mailbox.

"As mail begins to pile up in the mailbox you are leaving a great sign for bad guys that you’re not home," says Tuell.

Tulsa Police say it's important to make sure there are lights on both inside and outside your home because burglars hate well-lit areas. And with many security systems, you can turn your lights on with your smartphone from anywhere in the world.

"The phone has really changed everything," says Jason Martin of GM Titan Alarms.

Titan Alarms says sales for security cameras increase this time of year and lately, they've been selling a lot of internet-connected cameras that send alerts straight to your fingertips.

"People really like the doorbell cameras so they have a motion activity so when they see motion you’ll be able to talk to that person," says Martin.

Because you don't want anything to ruin what’s meant to be the most wonderful time of year.

"It’s really really cheap for you to have a small investment that would protect your largest investment which is your home and everything inside it," says Tuell.

Sergeant Tuell says having security cameras also increases the chances of your crime being solved. He also says it's important to keep trip updates off social media so people don't know you're away.