Published: July 05, 2009 12:16 am      

Sheriff’s Silent Sentinel program offers homeowners added security, peace of mind

GREENVILLE — Here we are; the middle of another hot Texas summer! Our minds are on the Fourth of July, family reunions, picnics and summer vacations.

With times the way they are, leaving your home for even a few days can be frightening.

Typically, you stop your deliveries, have someone pick up your mail, purchase automatic timers to automate your interior lights and enlist neighbors, friends and family to help keep an eye on your home.

The Hunt County Sheriff’s Office is launching a new, aggressive systematic program that may be a help to you as well!

It’s called SILENT SENTINEL. This is specifically for citizens who live in the unincorporated areas of Hunt County. The program begins Monday, July 6 and runs through Labor Day. Here’s how it works.

A few days before you leave, log on to www.FriendsOfTheSheriff.com and look for the SILENT SENTINEL logo. Follow the links to download the SILENT SENTINEL request form. Here you can complete this form with important information. This includes your address, dates you will be traveling, emergency contact information, alarm information, gate codes, house descriptions and other pertinent information. These details will be carefully guarded and available to Law Enforcement personnel only. You can then email the completed form following the instructions provided.

If you don’t have internet access, you may come by the Sheriff’s Office or ask any Hunt County Deputy for an application. You can then mail, or return the application in person to the Sheriff’s Office during normal business hours or give it to any Deputy. We will take this information, assign it a code specific to your home, and create a SILENT SENTINEL call for service sheet.

While you are away, Deputies assigned to your area will give extra attention to your home and property. They will even leave you information in an inconspicuous place noting the times they were by, and include any pertinent details. If anything is out of the ordinary or out of place, we will then contact the emergency contact person of your choice and investigate further. Who knows, a Deputy may even contact you after you get home to see how your vacation was!

While nothing can guarantee that your home will not be burglarized, this program offers you yet another tool to fight crime right here in Hunt County. If you live in an unincorporated area of Hunt County, log on to www.FriendsOfTheSheriff.com to learn more about the SILENT SENTINEL program. If you are not already a “Friend of the Sheriff”, please consider becoming one. We truly are better together!