PCPD offers free vacation watch service

You’re gearing up for a vacation where you plan to relax without a worry in the world. As you’re day dreaming about your toes in the sand a grey cloud moves in. You realize you’re leaving an empty house, what if it gets broken into or vandalized and the list goes on. The Ponca City Police Department has your back and will keep an eye on your house while your gone. Police Chief, Don Bohon said all you have to do is go to the PD and fill out a vacation watch request.

" The form we have them fill out asks for some key information," Bohon said. "Of course, name and address of the house we need to look at, but also asks for those who have a key or have an alarm access code. We don’t ask for you to give us your key or alarm access key, we just ask you give us a contact if we have a problem. We ask are you leaving lights on? Are you leaving them on a timer? Are you leaving things like that on a timer? So that if we come by one day and the whole house is dark and we come by the next day a lights on that catches our attention. And if we’ve been told your lights are on a timer we know at a certain time your lights may be on. Are you going to leave vehicles in the driveway or garage? Things like that."

They even want to know things as small as if you are planning to have lawn service during this time.

Bohon said the department can offer this free courtesy in a town this size.

Each morning the slips are distributed to patrol officers. The officers will stop by your house, walk around the outside perimeter and make sure everything checks out OK. The officer also makes sure to stop by at different times each day. Bohon said they check for more than broken windows and open doors.

“We’ve actually had officers catch things like hot water tanks break," Bohon said. " Waters running out from under the garage door, so we call a key holder and they are able to get that fixed before it becomes a bigger disaster than it needs to be. Mostly we are checking security to make sure no ones broken into the house, but we can also check on other things too that has to do with something inside like a water heater or water line, something like that."

There is no time limit on this service, they have watched houses for weeks on end. They just ask you notify the department when you get back.

Thus, allowing you to actually put your toes in the sand with only the sound of crashing waves on your mind.