Sheriff’s Office talks about home, car safety

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)- The Bonneville County Sheriff's Office is reminding people about being safe while traveling, not just during the holidays, but year-round.

Sergeant Bryan Lovell with the BCSO says criminals like to target households and people this time of year since they figure there may be packages on porches, or people will be out of town. Adding that people should think before they post since it could tip off people that the house is empty.

"Make sure that you're double-checking everything if you do leave home, everything is secure, your windows or your doors," Lovell said. "Maybe if you have a neighbor or a trusted family or friend, you can check on things or keep an eye on things and call if there's anything suspicious or anything that's out of place."

Lovell also says most thefts or burglaries are crimes of opportunity, and says things like video doorbells, security systems, and yard and house lights help deter criminals.

"They're checking doors that are unlocked, grabbing things that are quick and easy to grab, valuable and not spending a lot of time there, because the more time they spend there, the more risk they take in getting caught," Lovell said. "So if they don't know whether you're going to return home or come back to your car or be seen or anything like that; then chances are they're taking a huge risk if they're spending very much time there. So anything to kind of make it harder for them."

Lovell is also reminding people to pay attention when driving, especially in the winter.

"With weather that can change in an instant and change conditions in an instant, it just makes it that much more important to pay extra attention to your driving," Lovell said. "You should be paying complete attention to your driving all the time, and there are a lot of distractions and things, so it's worth making sure that you're extra aware that you're slowing down in inclement weather."

He also reminds people to clear off their windows.

"We tend to get real complacent on scraping your windows and getting all the snow off," Lovell said. "And I tell people all the time it's it's hard enough to see when it's snowing, Blowing, the sun in your eyes. The weather makes it, you know, a little bit more difficult. Visibility-wise, why would you not want to make your windows as clear as possible to give you the best view you can possibly have and help you avoid the unfortunate circumstance of being involved in a crash? So it's really worth taking that extra time, clearing those windows and mirrors especially when there's snow flying and the low visibility and all that, you know, it makes it more difficult to see."