MPD Offers Vacation Checks For Residents

By NICK YAMASHITA

The Progress

The Mesquite Police Department (MPD) is offering vacation checks to Mesquite residents who may be going out of town on vacation for a time. MPD Public Information Officer, Sergeant Wyatt Oliver, recently explained the program and why it is being offered.

Oliver said that though the vacation check program has been going on for quite some time , as summer approaches it seems a good time to review it with the community.

“This program is of great benefit for our residents,” Oliver said. “Recently, we have seen some home invasion, burglaries, and more going on. And, of course, we feel it is important to emphasize once again that people lock their doors, cars, and more. But we also wanted to reemphasize this program as well.”

The program offers vacation checks done by the Mesquite Volunteers Police Officers. The officers do multiple checks throughout the day on homes that are registered with Mesquite Police as being empty while the owners are away for vacations or other reasons.

“We have lots of residents who take advantage of the program,” said Oliver. “It gives the residents peace of mind knowing that their homes will be watched while they are away.”

Oliver reported they do checks on about 80-100 homes per year that are registered with them. “I really don’t know who came up with the idea and the history behind the program, but it has been a great advantage and it’s great for the community,” Oliver said.

On March 20, Mesquite Police were called out to a residence where a home invasion suspect, later identified as Cody Rhodes, had been shot. That incident is currently under investigation.

Just a day earlier, three juveniles and two adults identified as Mohamed Mohamed and Pole Singoma (all of northern Utah) were arrested for home invasion and burglary charges in Mesquite.

“People are getting out and doing more things with COVID mandates starting to drop,” Oliver said. “That means the criminals are coming back out. By offering this program we hope more people will take advantage of it and we can help our own feel more safe and protected.”

Oliver explained the officers are happy to help out in providing the home checks while people are gone on vacation or business trips.

“This helps the officers by having extra set of eyes on the city, watching for suspicious activity, helps us prevent possible crimes and recognize it before it happens,” said Oliver. “Also we have the contact information of the homeowners, so if something happens or we are able to stop something from happening, we can immediately contact them and relay the facts of what happened.”

The program is available to all residents of Mesquite who fall under the jurisdiction of the Mesquite Police Department. For more information about the program, and to register, residents may call (702) 346-6911 and talk to the Mesquite Police Department; or go in person to the police station located at 695 Mayan Circle, to sign up for the program.