Local law enforcement puts holiday-traveling homeowners at ease with home-watch programs

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The skies are greyer, the days are shorter, the temperatures are lower, and the decorations are already on the grocery store shelves. We’re definitely in holiday mode in The Woodlands, and with the holidays comes holiday travel.

Unfortunately, home invasions, burglaries, squatters, even natural disasters unfortunately pose true threats to a stress-free vacation. Fortunately, local law enforcement has a way to ease your mind.

Precinct 3 Constable’s Office – Constable Gable and his crew offer several services you can request online, including Public Information Requests, Event Appearance Requests, Home Inspection Requests, Online Crime Tips, Extra Patrol Requests, Commend a Deputy, File a Complaint, and Vacation Watch Requests.

A simple online form is all you need to fill out to request a vacation watch for your residence while you are away. Upon receipt of your request, it will be forwarded to a patrol deputy assigned to your neighborhood who will check on your residence while you are gone. Vacation watch checks will occur at random times and days as deputy availability permits.

Learn more at https://constablepct3.com/mcco3-web/services.php.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office – Sheriff Henderson will close out the year providing mind-soothing Vacation Watch services. While you’re away, the MCSO Patrol Division will send patrol officers to check on your residence and assure it is secure and that it has not been burglarized. If anything out of the ordinary is found during these checks, the emergency contact for the location of the residence will be contacted. Note that certain conditions apply, including vacation length and status of your residence. The frequency of these checks will be dependent upon the call loads in the Patrol District in which you reside.

Learn more at https://www.mctxsheriff.org/divisions/executive_division/communications/vacationwatch.php or call 936-760-5800 and select option 3.

Shenandoah Police Department – Vacation Watch is a courtesy service provided to the City of Shenandoah residents. To submit a Vacation Watch request to the Shenandoah Police Department, visit the registration form website and complete the Vacation Watch questions completely and submit. On completion of this form, a request will automatically be generated and you will receive a response that your request has been received.

To fill out a form, visit https://www.shenandoahtx.us/331/Report-a-Concern.

Oak Ridge North Police Department – Oak Ridge North keeps the other side of I-45 safe and sound with its Vacation Watch program. To register for a Vacation Watch, download and fill out this form at https://www.oakridgenorth.com/_files/ugd/5afa0d_ea8eb7d1717d4d32a33e61e1abad7ffd.pdf and then email it to specialservices@oakridgenorthpdtx.us.

Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office – For our Creekside Park Village residents in The Woodlands covered by Harris County, the county’s Precinct 4 Constable, Mark Herman, and his deputies are ready to let vacationers breathe a sigh of relief knowing their properties can be checked up on.

If you’re a Creekside Park Village resident, to enjoy peace of mind courtesy of Constable Herman, visit https://www.constablepct4.com/vacation-watch-request.html.

Whether or not use use any of these resources to check up on your house, here are some handy tips to help keep your home safe in your absence:

Have a neighbor or someone you know pick up your newspaper or have your subscription halted while you are gone.
Have a neighbor or someone you know to check for sales flyers left at your door. Have these removed.
Have your mail held at the post office.
Use automatic timers or virtual assistants like an Echo for your lights, TV, or radio.
Ask neighbors to park in your driveway when you are gone.
Have a Ring-type doorbell system and/or a home alarm system installed.

One of the most important things you can do to prevent criminal activity from happening at your residence while you are away is to talk with the neighbors that you trust. Tell them when you are leaving and when you will be back. Ask if they will watch your residence while you are gone.

Remember that all the local law enforcement agencies have multiple services designed to help homeowners, renters, and businesses feel protected and secure; reach out to them on their respective non-emergency lines any time.