Vacation Watch Program

Residences that are left vacant when the owners are out of town are prime targets for burglaries and vandalism. To reduce these threats, the Elm Ridge Police Department offers a Vacation House Watch service that provides increased patrols for those residents who are away from home. While the residence is on Vacation Watch, officers will routinely check the location to ensure the house and premises are secure, and will investigate any suspicious circumstances. When practical, your residence will be checked two times a day.

Eligibility

Any single-family residence permanently occupied is normally eligible for Vacation House Watch service. Vacant or otherwise uninhabited residences, such as houses under foreclosure, for rent or for sale are NOT eligible.

If there are people staying overnight at the residence, the residence is NOT eligible. If you have person(s) taking care of plants, pets, pools, etc. checks by an officer is limited, see special circumstance policy.

Length of Service

Vacation House Watch service will be provided for residents who will be away for at least 3 days, but not more than 14 days. Maximum length of service is 14 days.

Request for Service

Residents must complete the Vacation House Watch application and display a government issued picture identification card when completing the vacation watch form. This may be waived for senior or disabled citizens, who may request the service by telephone. When needed, Police Department personnel can assist people completing the Vacation House Watch request form and obtain identification from the requesting person. If services are requested over the telephone by a senior or disabled citizen, a police officer will respond to the residence to verify the information. The identification serves to verifies the authority of the person to set up the watch for the property.

Officer Responsibility

Officers will ensure that each Vacation House Watch request in their district is checked for obvious signs of criminal activity or suspicious circumstances and take appropriate action. The officers checking the house will initiate a call for service and indicate in CAD notes the residence was secure or actions taken. The Vacation House Watch requests are electronically kept through the Police Department’s computer assisted dispatch (CAD) which is available to the district’s officer(s) so they may complete the check(s) during their shift.

Special Circumstances:

Residents may have arrangements made with friends, neighbors, relatives or certain companies to feed/water pets or plants, pick up mail, clean a pool, mow the yard, house-sitters, and/or maid service, to name a few. To participate in this program, anyone the homeowner authorizes to be on location while you are gone MUST be notified, by you, to attend to their agreed task(s) between the hours of 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

You MUST indicate in the section under “Authorized Persons On Location” the person’s name (if known), company (or neighbor, relative, etc.) and their reason for being on location. When any of these blocks are checked, and to avoid safety issues for all person(s) involved and/or persons being detained while officer investigates that person’s ability to be on or in your property, we will NOT check the home between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. We will only check it sometime during the night between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM.

Remember, if you authorize anyone to be on the location between the hours of 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM for any reason, you are not eligible to participate in this program.