By Will Pafford, Staff Writer

As burglaries and thefts increase during the holiday season, homeowners can protect themselves by requesting the police check on their houses regularly. 

The police call these requests “closed patrols.”

West Lake Hills Police Department Chief Cliff Spratlan said closed patrols are the most predominant activity of the department, and they increase greatly this time of year. 

“We get a lot of them during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays,” he said. 

Spratlan said 99 percent of the time, police check the houses once every eight hours. 

The only time this would not happen is if officers have to respond to more urgent situations. 

While they review the house, officers usually check windows and doors to ensure no one has broken into the home, Spratlan said. 

Closed patrols do not only help residents feel more at ease, they also decrease crime, he said. 

Criminals are less likely to target an area where they often see patrol cars.

“The number-one asset the police department has is visibility,” Spratlan said. 

By patrolling residences throughout the city, officers are not following a set routine.

“So the criminal element can’t figure out our system,” Spratlan said. 

Rollingwood Police Chief Dayne Pryor said although closed patrols are time-consuming, they are an important function of the department and help residents feel comfortable when they’re traveling. 

“They don’t have to worry when they’re on vacation,” Pryor said. 

The patrols also keep marked police cars in the residential area, which is a powerful crime deterrent he said. 

 “It’s one of the perks to living in a community like this,” he said.