OCEAN CITY — With the arrival of the holiday season, numerous Ocean City residents will travel to visit families in the coming weeks and others will flee winter solitude for warmer climates, the Ocean City Police Department has a residential security check program available for the countless vacant properties in the resort and many are taking advantage of it this year.
Through the program, homeowners and business owners can register their properties with the OCPD’s residential security check program and officers will randomly go around to them at different times of the day to ensure they are secure. During registration, homeowners provide information about how long they are going to be away, what interior and exterior lights are on timers, who might be visiting the property during the prescribed time period, what vehicles might be in the driveway and any other pertinent information about the status of the property.
“Our residential check program is a free program available to anyone within the city limits of Ocean City,” OCPD Public Affairs Specialist Lindsay Richard said. “After the homeowner answers a few questions, the property will be added to our database and officers will periodically check on it while the home is unoccupied.”
OCPD officers on routine patrol will then drive by the property at random times during the day to ensure everything appears to be as it is supposed to be. The officers will also get out and check doors, sliding doors, windows, garages and other access points to ensure the property is safely secured and has not been compromised in any way while the owners are out of town.
Each year, the OCPD responds to numerous incidents of burglaries at vacant properties. While the resort is inherently safe, especially during the quiet winter months, there is a criminal element taking advantage of the vast number of empty properties.
“Criminals are often opportunistic and take advantage of the fact many residences in Ocean City are vacant during the winter months,” Richard said. “Many burglaries that occur at unoccupied homes go unreported until the home is opened up in the spring, making it difficult to investigate and find a suspect.”
Many resort property owners close up their second homes in Ocean City and winterize them. Unfortunately, some return in the spring and find their property has been burglarized. The OCPD’s residential check program is an effective way to prevent that from happening in many cases.
“Oftentimes, the homeowner doesn’t report the burglary until spring when they return to open the home back up and by then, it’s difficult to investigate and find a suspect,” said Richard.
Many resort property owners close up their second homes in Ocean City and winterize them. Unfortunately, some return in the spring and find their property has been burglarized. The OCPD’s residential check program is an effective way to prevent that from happening in many cases.
“The program is also great for year-round residents who travel,” she said. “Whether you sign up for a weekend or an entire winter, our officers will make sure your home stays safe and secure while you’re away. We will ask the homeowner a series of questions and if an officer drives by and notices something that doesn’t match up with what the homeowner says, our officers will give them a call to confirm that everything is how it should be.”
The OCPD’s residential security check module is used to track residential and commercial addresses that require special monitoring. As officers patrol Ocean City, their observations and comments for the locations are captured in the department’s CAD system. When a special watch expires, a detailed report can be generated that outlines the frequency of the officer checks and any observations or unique circumstances experienced by officers for a specific address. More importantly, the security check system provides officers with enough information to quickly contact residents about their property in an emergency.
“Our officers check for anything that might seem out of place,” she said. “They check for an unfamiliar vehicle, a light on inside, damage to the outside of the home, etc. If the officer notices any issues, they will immediately call the emergency phone number that the homeowner provided.”
The proliferation of social media outlets allows would-be criminals the opportunity to find out who is away and how long they will be gone. Richard advised local residents to be careful about how much information they make public. Beyond that, a handful of common sense tips can prevent resort property owners from becoming victims of crime while they are away from home.
“Other than signing up for the residential security check program, we suggest that you have lights placed throughout you home on a timer while you’re away and also ask a neighbor to use your driveway while you’re away.” she said.