Although the weather is taking a chilly turn, East Lansing residents are continuing to leave doors open, and thieves are continuing to snag whatever items they can, local officials said.
"Primarily it's people who leave their doors unlocked," East Lansing police Capt. Juli Liebler said, adding that there has been a recent rash of home break-ins.
"They're targeting laptops, cell phones and small electronics," she added.
The thefts haven't decreased, although open-door thefts are commonly attributed to people leaving doors open during nice weather.
Last year there were 274 burglaries, up from 187 in 2002, but down from 287 in 2001, according to the East Lansing Police Department. Numbers for 2004 were not available Tuesday.
Community policing officers are reminding residents of the safety tips as they contact them in their daily rounds, Liebler said.
A letter went out to residents in DTN Management Co. properties this week, alerting them to keep doors and windows locked, report suspicious persons to the police and use door peepholes before letting visitors into their apartments.
The company sends out about one message each year, said Colin Cronin, DTN Management Co.'s area director for student properties.
Since her home was broken into last year, English senior Lauren Nefouse said she hasn't needed any reminders to keep her door locked.
"I wasn't nervous about it at all before, but now there's absolutely no reason to keep the door open any more, whether it's nice weather or whatever," Nefouse said.
Cronin said the more people who live in a home, the more challenging it can be to get people to lock outside doors.
"Everybody comes and goes at different times during the night," he said.
"We've always had more problems with houses being unlocked," he added.
Keeping dorm room doors locked also is important, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.
Saturday afternoon, two West Akers Hall residents reported a Sony PlayStation 2 and games stolen from their room, McGlothian-Taylor said.
Both students were home for the weekend, and their third roommate told police he generally leaves the room unlocked as long as he's in the building. There were no signs of forced entry into the room, and losses were estimated at $457.
"We need to remind staff and students to lock doors even if it's for a minute or two, because most thefts can be prevented that way," McGlothian-Taylor said.
To report a crime on campus, call (517) 355-2222.
To report a crime in East Lansing, call (517) 351-4220.
Staff writer David Salisbury contributed to this report.
