Break-in prevention tips

Finals over, students pack up and lock their residence hall room, apartment or house hoping to return with everything they left behind present and in order.

Last year, residences located throughout Milledgeville experienced home invasion and robbery over the fall and winter breaks.One victim of the invasions and robberies is fourth-year nursing major Kristine Barton.

“Before we knew our house was broken into, I asked a friend of mine to check on the house because I knew that break-ins had been happening around our part of town,” Barton said. “After she checked, she called back with a regretful confirmation.”

As the semester winds downs, students should take precautions to guard against possible invasions and robberies.

Most cases of home or car invasion are a matter of student neglect to properly protect their property.

“If a break-in were to occur, the most common are those in which the opportunity presents itself, unsecured properties (car and residence), but then technically that wouldn’t be considered a ‘break-in,’” said Detective Michael Baker of the GCSU Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division.

Common mistakes include unsecured doors and windows, advertising valuables at locations such as in the front seat of a car or leaving pricey item boxes on the curb, inadequate lighting, broadcasting travel plans on Facebook or not having someone to look over property while away.

In these instances students naively target themselves as victims.

Suggestions to better protect residences on the basic level are to diligently check the durability of locks and be mindful to use locks on every door and window in residences or vehicles; store high priced items away from windows and doors where they are not easily seen and keep lighting around cars and residence lit during the duration of absence.

Also, schedules of when and where you travel should not be disclosed online and if possible, ask a friend to regularly check on property.

Another precaution is recording valuable items in a log.

“Keep a log of your valuables to include the make, model and most importantly the serial number,” Baker said. “Or let us keep the log for you.”

Students can find the log on Public Safety’s website.

Although students need to actively participate in protecting their property, Public Safety and Milledgeville Police Department are available.

“We continuously patrol as we do any time of the year,” Baker said. “However, with less people around campus there is more concentration of protection of property.”

In Barton’s case, the MPD handled the investigation. Only a few of the stolen items were returned to Barton and her roommates, and thankfully the thieves were caught.

Nevertheless, Barton still feels anxiety from the situation.

“I still feel a sense of uneasiness when I get home first from a long weekend or even just sleeping in my bed because they broke into my window the first time,” Barton said.

Barton suggests asking the MPD to fill out a free home safety inspection form and use their services such as having police check around your home twice a day.

“Take everything worth something to you, whether it is material or sentimental, home with you,” Barton said. “It’s work lugging everything to your car. Knowing that there’s nothing to steal eases my mind.”

Posted by Emily McCurley on Dec 2 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.