Personal safety matters increase during Spring Break

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Police increase patrol on spring break —they say student and shared housing is a main target.

On top of being out and about, Harrisonburg Police said precautions at home help be less vulnerable to a break-in.

“Pull your curtains leave your front door light on make sure that you let your neighbors know you’re gonna be out of town so they can check your property. The police are also doing things and we’re spending extra time in those areas to make sure that there’s no suspicious activity,” Harrisonburg Police Department Lieutenant Chris Monahan:

Law enforcement knows social media can be a geo-locator against someone’s personal safety, showing where you are and where you’re not.

“If someone knows where you live or has the ability to find out where you live, and they know you’re not there it’s almost just too easy to go get anything that might be in there and you’re in an out, and you know it’s unoccupied.” Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson said.

Personal safety includes keeping your valuables secured. Police stress that personal safety plays into public safety by communicating what seems out of the ordinary.

“Oftentimes, people see something and they don’t say something, and then they wish they did down the road. Don’t be afraid to give us a call or send an officer out to her to look at it but certainly, it’s in the best interest of everybody, if you make that phone call and we can come to investigate it,” Lieutenant Chris Monahan said.

Law enforcement said leaving yourself open makes it easy for a quick crime to occur.

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