As you plan your outdoor activities and family vacations, keep being safe at the forefront of your mind.

Here are several tips from the SHPD for a safe and fun summer.

• When planning a trip, use light timers and notify your local police department of your vacation dates. Ask a neighbor to grab your mail and newspapers.
• Use motion detectors and/or dusk-to-dawn lighting to keep the outside illuminated.
• Inspect all door and window locks, double-hung, casement and sliding windows.
• Lock all first floor doors and windows before bed.
• Trim shrubbery that obsures doors and windows.  This makes it more difficult for an intruder to gain entry.
• Make sure your address is clearly visible from the street for emergency purposes.
• Close and lock the garage door when you are not nearby.  
• License your bicycle through the police department and lock up when unattended.
• Lock your car even while in the garage; keep electronics and valuables out of view.
• Be aware of your surroundings when you bike, walk, or jog.  Stay on well-lit paths, tell someone where you are going, and if possible, carry a cell phone.
• Notify the police department when there is a street light out.
• Install an alarm system, if possible.  

In a recent 2012 survey conducted by pest control leader Orkin, two-thirds (67 percent) of respondents across the U.S. began seeing bugs between April and June. With the climbing temperatures across the country, people are spending more time outdoors. The experts at Orkin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc., have listed the top five summer pests – ants, fire ants, mosquitoes, bees/wasps and bed bugs – along with prevention tips to help protect you and your family all summer long.

Throughout the U.S., ants are a major concern for Americans. Ants can enter homes through the tiniest cracks and look for sweet, greasy or protein-based foods. They leave an invisible pheromone trail for other ants to follow once they find a food source.