Going on Vacation?

If you're going to be out of town during the summer months, volunteers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department can check to make sure that your home is safe and sound. Here's a message from Captain Mike Parker at Sheriff's Headquarters:

Going on vacation? Want someone to help your family/friends to keep an eye on your home?

Civilian "Volunteers on Patrol" with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) will do that for you if you live within the patrol area of the LASD where the service is available.

Patrol certified volunteers work at sheriff's stations and assist deputies in patrolling the community and helping to keep an eye on your home.

Contact your local Los Angeles County Sheriff's station and request a vacation check.

Once we know you're on vacation, our volunteers on patrol will stop by your residence and check on things.

When time permits, this includes checking all doors and windows, remove flyers from your door step, gather up all newspapers from the driveway and placing them out of view. They will also inspect your vehicles in the driveway and make sure they are fine too. The volunteers sometimes leave a card in a secured location showing the check was done.

If you happen to return from vacation early, residents are required to notify the sheriff's department and cancel the vacation check.

Our volunteers respond in a marked sheriff’s Volunteers on Patrol car which aids in deterring crime in the area (click on hyperlink at the bottom of this message to see PHOTOS).

Our volunteers do not provide lawn watering or feeding the pets. However, if they notice any oddities with the property such as a crime in progress, broken window, or an open door, deputies are immediately notified and respond to the residence to investigate.

If they discover your sprinklers are not shutting off, or other obvious problems, they will contact the emergency contact person you provide to us, and advise of the situation.

This is a free service made possible in some sheriff's station areas by dedicated volunteers from your local community who partner with your local sheriff's deputies. Please thank them for their service when you see them. If you would like to be a volunteer, please call your local sheriff's station to get more information.

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