SHERMAN, Tex. -- Burglaries are becoming a bigger problem around the nation. Josh Stevenson has more on how to protect your family in this Safe Family report.

With the holidays approaching, most of us will travel to visit friends and family, leaving our homes unattended and vulnerable to thieves.

Sgt. Bruce Dawsey of the Sherman Police Department says there are a few simple things you can do to reduce your risk of becoming a victim.

"Get the newspapers of the front porch, get the mail, and keep it from building up that a sign that no one’s home."

A dark quiet house can also be a tell tale sign to an intruder

"If you have a light timer, we recommend that you put that on a lamp so that a light comes on during different times of the day, and you may want to leave the stereo on low so that if someone listens, it sounds like someone’s in the house."

And if you plan on staying home this holiday season, be careful about how you display your home.

"Someone driving down by might say, ‘That’s pretty,’ or they see the Christmas presents under the tree, you don’t want to advertise that sort of thing."

For more, check http://www.crimedoctor.com/home.htm.

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