The weather is getting colder and the year is drawing to an end. The holiday season and a possible surge in thefts are nearly upon us.
Director of Public Safety Gene Burton said Muncie's struggles with the economy and the approaching holiday season has caused a spike in robberies around the city and near campus. He said University Police Department has shifted its focus from patrolling on campus to patrolling the surrounding neighborhoods to discourage robberies.
With the high profile crimes around campus recently — an armed robbery, a drive by shooting and an assault — students cautions are misguided. Burton said students should be more concerned about their houses being robbed than being mugged on the street.
With Thanksgiving Break next week, some people may be looking to get a head start on holiday shopping at the expense of out-of-town students. It's no secret that Ball State University occasionally lets us away for a few days at a time. The student housing areas near campus are bound to see some break-ins and robberies. Students need to be smart about how they leave their houses or apartments if they go home for the break.
Obviously, locking every door and window is a great idea. It's probably a safe bet that if someone wants to break into what he or she thinks is an empty house, a locked door won't thwart the plan. But someone could easily peruse the neighborhood looking for an empty house with an unlocked door or window to slip through.
If you go home or anywhere out of town for Thanksgiving Break, take your valuable things with you if you can. If they aren't in the house, they can't be stolen if someone breaks in.
Cars are easy targets as well. Most students would probably drive their car where ever they go for break, but if you don't, try and put it in a garage or away from the street if possible.
These all seem like no-brainers, but some will forget and might end up losing things.
Some students probably will skip town this weekend in order to have an extended break, possibly leaving their house or apartment empty and widening the window for burglars. No matter what your situation is over Thanksgiving and Winter breaks, be sure to take all possible precautions to avoid becoming a victim of robbery. Anything you can do to make a burglary harder can only help.
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