WHITE HAVEN -- It's no secret that summertime is the biggest vacation season of the year, but what you should try to keep secret is when you're taking that vacation.
"During the summertime, you get a lot of people just walking through the woods or whatever and they just break into a home for no reason," said White Haven Police Chief Tom Szoke.
The department is asking people to just fill out a form before going on vacation. The form includes questions such as what cars are you leaving behind and if you have any lights on a timer.
This way police know you're out of town and can send extra patrols by your house while you're gone.
"To make sure that people know the police are in the area, we do have a presence. We're highly visible and we do everything we can to protect our residents," said Chief Szoke.
White Haven police said they can also check on homes in Penn Lake and Dennison Township, too.
Police also said your best bet at keeping your home safe is to get to know your neighbors.
"One of the best alarm systems in the world are your neighbors. If they know you're away, then they can watch your home," said Chief Szoke.
People who live in the White Haven area said they'll be letting the police know when they plan to pack up and hit the road.
"I don't see how it could hurt and I think it's just an extra set of eyes," said Ned McGuire from Penn Lake.
Cherl Zickgraf of Foster Township said, "I didn't use to be afraid 20 years ago, but sometimes."
Police said if they're checking on your home, you need to do your part, too and stop posting on social media that you're going away
"Don't say, 'Gonna be away on vacation in Ocean City for two weeks,' because then everybody knows you're away," said Chief Szoke.
"Facebook will automatically post where you are, your location, so you're giving out a lot of clues to a lot of people when you do that," said McGuire.
As for Facebook and other forms of social media, police said it's best to wait until you get home to post all those pictures.
If you live in the White Haven area and want police to watch your home, you can just fill out the form and drop it off at the borough office.
