One of the perks of living off campus is being truly on your own: no parents, no RAs, no UB rules. But off-campus residents are also on their own when it comes to protecting their homes over long breaks from school, when there much is less supervision than there is on campus.
A house in University Heights or near Elmwood is more vulnerable to holiday break-ins than, say, the Ellicott Complex, which is all but locked down once finals are over.
John Grela, director of UB Public Safety, said while there is no evidence that such break-ins necessarily increase during the winter period, students should take extra steps to assure that their homes and apartments will be safe.
When leaving home for a long period of time, students can never take enough precaution, Grela said.
"Just don't leave your valuables behind, it's as simple as that," he said. "When I say valuables, I mean computers, laptops, things like that. If you have to leave them, though, make sure they're locked up before you leave to go home."
Grela added that using automatic timers is a good start to better ensuring security. NYS University Police don't keep statistics that track student-specific holiday break-ins.
"There really hasn't been a history of break-ins occurring more frequently over the semester break that I know of, but you really never know," Grela said. "There's an average of one or two break-ins per week and they don't seem to be student-targeted. Regardless, it's still a valid concern for students who will be leaving this winter."
If students are going to leave valuables behind, they also should make sure they aren't within easy view of passersby, according to E District Police Chief Mark Antonio.
"Obviously, don't leave anything in the open that can be seen through the windows," he said. "That's an obvious target for would-be burglars."
Although a simple step, Grela and Antonio both stressed that students should make sure all of the residence's windows and doors are locked before departing. Additionally, students should be sure that their residences look "lived-in" over the winter break, as an empty house is an easy target.
"Don't leave the place in total darkness, make it look like it's being lived in," Antonio said. "It's not a lot of money to leave a light on. Lights are the best security you can have."
"A light is your best security if you're not going to be there and you don't have a neighbor who'll see or a dog that will bark nearby," he added.
Students should also cancel their mail and newspaper services for the time they will be absent.
"People getting mail at their house should stop their mail until they come back or have a friend pick up the mail for them in the meantime," Grela said. "You want to do this so there's not a big buildup of newspapers or mail, which would give an indication that nobody's been around in a long time."
Enlisting a friend or neighbor to shovel the driveways and check on the house periodically is another annual winter break tip.
"Burglars are not going to go into a house where attention might get drawn to them. They're going to go for easy marks," Antonio said. "Dark houses at certain times of the day are easy targets. Burglars aren't going to even take the risk of knocking on a door of a house that is lit. That's a very rare case when that happens."
And while students should enlist a trusted friend to check on their residences while they're away on break, they shouldn't tell all of their acquaintances where they will be over this upcoming break.
"There's never a 100 percent guarantee," Antonio said. "You don't know who your friends are. Your friends could take advantage of you if they know you're going to be gone. Don't tell people what you're doing, because the more people you tell your plans, the more they'll tell other people, and someone could take advantage of the opportunity. It sounds stupid, but trust me, in today's world you almost can't trust anybody."
Outside the home but not to be forgotten, Grela said, are vehicles that students may decide to leave in the area during the break.
"If they're going to leave their vehicle, make sure they don't leave anything on the seats that's visible," he said. "Park legally. Lock whatever they have, if it's a tape player or CD player or something, in the trunk. Leave the vehicle in a safe place, legally parked, in a well-lit area."
Grela said the university's overnight parking lots are also available to students looking for a safer alternative to parking in the street.
"If students want to park their car in overnight parking areas on-campus, we encourage that so they're not left out on the street," Grela said. "Go to (the) parking and transportation Web site, and there's a list of overnight parking lots. Those are assigned specifically, and your vehicle will be safer there over break."
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
