PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — Prairie Village police are offering to keep an eye on homes while residents are gone for the holidays.
As more people prepare to go on vacation, the police department is reminding homeowners about its house watch program.
"We get out and check the complete exterior of the home so we'll go and jiggle door handles and make sure your windows aren't cracked and things like that," Detective Caroline Van Cil said.
People living in Prairie Village and Mission Hills can fill out a form online to allow officers to drop by their homes and check for any open doors or smashed windows.
While the program provides homeowners with a sense of security, it also helps officers solve crimes if they find that one has occurred. Van Cil said officers will check listed residences about every other day.
"Let's say the officer went and checked the house on a Monday and on Wednesday, we realized a window is broken. We'll be able to narrow down the time frame of when the crime maybe could have occurred," Van Cil said.
Officers only check homes during the daytime hours and when they're not responding to other more urgent calls. Residents can list emergency contacts and are encouraged to list any neighbors or family members, who may have an extra key to their home.
"If we see something, we have that emergency contact come check the house or call the resident. Usually what they do, in that case, is have us go check the interior of the home or they'll just have us secure whatever door or window was left open," Van Cil said.
If interested, homeowners can fill out the House Watch request form on the Prairie Village Police Department website.
