By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville

July 11, 2025: No one can deny that summer is finally here and with it come certain changes and activities in the Village. 

Many of you take the opportunity to travel so homes are left vacant for longer stretches of times.

The following are strategies from Police Chief Satriale to make your home appear occupied:

-Leave lights on when you go out. If you are away for a length of time, connect some lamps to automatic timers to go on during the day as well as at night.

-Keep the garage door closed and locked and store lawn mowers, snow blowers, barbeques and bicycles out of plain sight.

-Arrange for your mail and newspapers to be stopped and the lawn mowed. Have a neighbor pick up the Pennysaver type papers left on the driveway which are a giveaway to your absence.

-Change locks immediately if keys are lost or stolen and always change locks when moving into a new home.

-To make the exterior of your home secure, always activate your alarm system and provide adequate exterior lighting. A motion-sensitive light is recommended for backyards.

-Trim trees and shrubs to avoid creating a hiding place or screen for intruders and make sure door hinges are on the inside.

-If you do return home and find an unexplained open or broken window or door, do not enter your home. The perpetrator could still be inside.  Go to a neighbor’s home to use a phone or use a cell phone away from the house.  Do not touch anything or attempt to clean up until the police have inspected for evidence.

-Never leave keys under doormats, flowerpots, mailboxes, etc. or other secret hiding places. Burglars know where to look for hidden keys.

-Finally, be a good neighbor. If you notice anything suspicious in your neighborhood, call the police immediately.  While you are waiting for their arrival, write down any license plate numbers or descriptions of suspicious persons.

We ask that you take advantage of our “vacant house list” service.  Prior to your vacation departure, contact our police department with your plans and when manpower permits, our officers will make physical checks of your home.

As an added safety measure, go to BronxvillePD and follow the Emergency Alert System link to add your family to our alert system.  You will then be able to receive updates from our Chief of Police about any criminal activity and close to real time updates on critical incidents affecting the Village including police activities and weather alerts.

-Keep car and house keys on separate rings and unlabeled so if lost, both are not vulnerable to use.

-Even when home, cars should always be locked and valuables removed from plain site. The vast majority of our car thefts are not break-ins, rather crimes of opportunity when unlocked car doors are tried, opened and money and valuables taken.

-Phone ringers, especially in apartments, should be lowered as an audible persistently ringing phone is a sign of an empty apartment.

Despite stopping mail, random flyers and solicitation items can end up on driveways which are giveaways to a vacant house. Our police department advises homeowners to share your schedule with a neighbor, ask them to pick up items left near your home and even park a car in your driveway. In addition, if you alert our police desk of your travels, they will add your home to the “dark house” list and drive by on a daily basis.

As a general rule, call the Police Department if you see any suspicious persons/activities/packages; anything out of the norm and let trained police professionals make the decision as what has transpired. It is important to call the Police Department immediately because often time is truly of the essence and even a small delay can hamper apprehension.

-Prior to departure, if you have any concerns about the safety of your home, call the Police Department, set up an appointment and an officer will do a security survey of your home to assess vulnerabilities and suggest ways to increase security.

-A key file at the police department is also available allowing homeowners to keep a key in the department in case of emergencies and lockouts.

Summer is an ideal time for home repairs as the Village is less busy on many levels.  If you plan any major renovations, kindly alert your neighbors so they can adjust their outdoor plans accordingly. It is also a good time to check the conditions of your sidewalks and repair as needed. Due to rapid plant growth in the summer months, please be mindful that trees and bushes must be trimmed to allow safe passage along sidewalks as well as to maintain visibility at intersections and avoid extra screening for intruders.

For those of you staying put, our Village is particularly beautiful and peaceful this time of year, offering an opportune time to enjoy our outdoor dining, catch a first run movie or a summer sale at one of our Village businesses – all while finding a parking space!