Crawford Street in Nogales.The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department has a new online tool that allows residents to schedule patrols of their homes while they’re away on vacation.
"This is a service that’s been in existence for years now at the sheriff’s office," said Javier De La Ossa, who works in the office. "We just figured we’d make it more convenient for our citizens to give them the option to set up these house vacation visits on their own time."
In the past, residents would have to call 911 to ask for a visit. These days they can just log onto the sheriff’s website.
They are asked for information about their cars and travel dates and whether lights are left on inside the house.
De La Ossa said the goal is to make neighborhoods around Santa Cruz County safer by increasing the visibility of patrol cars.
The site was launched a few days before Christmas and will be up year round.
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