MSU’s campus is a safe one, MSU police Capt. Doug Monette said, but that doesn’t mean the residence halls and buildings scattered across campus are completely crime free. Student housing in East Lansing is also generally safe, East Lansing Police Department Lt. Scott Wriggelsworth said.
Just last week, two armed robberies police said are unrelated occurred within days of each other. Both officers gave some pointers for students looking to stay out of the crime log.
Hubbard Hall in East Neighborhood saw more than 60 arrests for burglary and thefts in 2015 — the most of any residence hall — but that’s something Monette said is easily reversible.
“Students have to secure their belongings,” Monette said. “When you leave your room, lock your door. When you go to workout, make sure your stuff is locked somewhere.”
Monette said most of the thefts in residence halls are because of students being too trustworthy in their surroundings, leaving doors propped open and allowing people in whom the students don’t know.
“The best piece of advice is to just let people in the doors only if you know them, you can’t make assumptions,” he said.
Wriggelsworth said crime in East Lansing generally occurs in the downtown area because of the high concentration of people, bars and businesses.
Wriggelsworth said the majority of student housing in East Lansing sees break-ins and thefts more than any other type of crime. They also experience burglary at a higher rate than the permanent residents of East Lansing.
Most of the time, Wriggelsworth said, the break-ins are crimes of opportunity. The perpetrators only decide to commit the crime because they realize no one is home.
“I always tell students they need to lock their doors and windows overnight to be safe,” he said. “When students are living with five or six roommates, it can be very easy to forget to lock the door.”
Wriggelsworth also said break-ins tend to increase during breaks from school — a pattern he said has been going on for about 30 years.
He advised students to bring important belongings, such as laptops and TVs, home so even if someone breaks in to their room they won’t lose expensive items. He also advised students to tell neighbors they will be gone for an extended period of time.
“If you’re going to leave for break, you should tell your neighbors so they can keep on eye on your house,” he said. “If a criminal sees a house with a bunch of snow out front and mail in the mailbox, they’re going to know no one is there.”
Wriggelsworth said he hates to see students’ belongings stolen because students’ laptops often have troves of school work and other things needed to be successful.
He said it is imperative for students to be mindful of these patterns to protect their more valuable belongings.
