Follow #9PMRoutine: Lock your car, home at night

All the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office wants for Christmas is for residents to follow the #9PMRoutine.

Deputies joined law enforcement nationwide to launch the social media campaign for this holiday season. The routine is simple: By 9 p.m. roll up car windows and remove valuables inside; turn on home exterior lights and lock doors to homes, garages and cars.

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"Especially in the holiday season, for them to be sending such kind of information to the public, I think that's something that will be helpful," Faysal Abdille of Miamisburg said. "At least it's one more reminder to be careful."

Steve Zador of Centerville, who has an alarm system and Rottweiler at home, said it's a no-brainer: "Takes five seconds to do it, so might as well."

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Research shows that more than 30 percent of home burglars walk in through an unlocked front door. More than 460,000 vehicles are broken into every year, while they are unlocked.

The social media campaign, first launched by a Florida police department, is designed to decrease the number of burglaries.

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"It eliminates the prime opportunity for a thief to walk by and check to see if there's anything valuable in your car, or if the doors are unlocked," Sheriff Phil Plummer stated in a news release.

GOT A TIP? Contact the 24/7 monitored line, 937-259-2237 or email newsdesk@cmgo.com.

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