9 P.M. Routine Helps Eliminate Crimes Of Opportunity In Woodland

WOODLAND (CBS13) — It's probably happened to everyone: leaving a door unlocked. Whether it's your home or your car, unlocked doors can lead to crimes of opportunity.

To prevent these accidents, a nationwide initiative is asking everyone to check their home and cars before they go to bed.The magic time is 9 p.m. when everyone can take a quick walk around their house to ensure their belongings are locked up safely.

Woodland police say they wish they could be everywhere all the time, but because they can't, they hope the routine can eliminate crimes of opportunity.

"Try to lock your house doors, your cars doors, remove valuables from your car," said Sgt. Dallad Hyde of the Woodland Police Department.

Woodland neighbors are on board, hoping to prevent crime in their area.

"If they're walking by and they're trying door handles and yours is one that's locked, they're probably gonna move on," Hyde said.

Police say they saw other law enforcement agencies doing this routine on social media and decided to see if it would work in their area too.

So far, they said the response has been positive and many people have thanked them for the reminder.