Erik Meath never imagined that as a college student he would have to fear thieves breaking into his near-campus house.
“I’m still in college, so I don’t think I’m prone to stuff like that,” the advertising junior said.
Precautions to protect empty student homes over holidays
But this holiday season, Meath said he and his roommates will lock the back door when they leave their Elizabeth Street house, something they’ve neglected to do all school year.
With the excitement geared toward holiday spirits and returning home to families, East Lansing police Lt. Kevin Daley said students tend to forget that their absence during the holiday break is a green light for thieves.
Daley said criminals typically know students leave behind valuables, such as laptops and iPods, when they flee their houses during the winter break.
According to East Lansing police, there were 31 reported breaking and entering cases in East Lansing over winter break in 2006 and 21 break-ins over the break in 2005.
Daley said certain clues near student homes indicate whether houses are occupied.
“If the sidewalks are unshoveled … papers piled up near the house, that makes the property a more prime candidate,” Daley said.
He added that students can set timers so their interior lights turn on at night, giving the appearance that someone is home.
MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said police patrol areas around campus to help thwart suspicious activity.
Security personnel monitor the residence halls during the semester break to ensure windows are secure and there aren’t any trespassers, McGlothian-Taylor said.
“We usually get calls when students return (from break) because that’s when they discover their things are missing,” she said.
Students who live in dorms should take any valuables home with them over break or talk to residence hall management about storing them in secure places, McGlothian-Taylor said.
Students who leave their vehicles in East Lansing during break also are advised to remove all items in plain view from their cars.
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Daley said students should inform neighbors of their absence this holiday season so they can monitor their homes for suspicious behavior.
Kinesiology senior Jenna Peters said double-bolting doors and placing bars on the windows of her Ann Street house would help keep thieves from breaking into her residence.
But Peters said her experience living in an apartment tells her that a house isn’t the most secure location.
“My house has three ways to get inside,” Peters said.
“It was safer when I lived in an apartment because you needed a key to get in the building.”
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