Preventing Winter-Break Theft
With school about to break for the winter recess, the UW-Madison Police Department reminds parents and students to take a few steps to help reduce thefts. During winter break, UW police officers are doing their part by increasing patrols around campus, but they need the campus community to help.
As parents, you can help keep your students’ belongings safe. Start by having your student bring valuable items such as iPods, laptops, and cameras home when he or she leaves campus. Other potential targets include cash, compact discs, bikes, jewelry, video games, stereos, and televisions. Remind your student to not leave attractive items out in plain sight; instead, store them in a locked drawer, closet, or interior room. And students should take small valuables with them they leave for the break.
While it may seem obvious, reminding your student to lock his or her residence is helpful. In their excitement to return home, students may forget this easy and important step. Have your students check apartment and office doors, as well as windows. Students should also draw any shades or curtains in their residence, to further keep things out of sight.
It may also be a good idea for your student to let a landlord, property owner, or co-worker know how long he or she will be gone and how to reached if there’s a problem.
Recovering stolen items does not happen as often as we’d like, but it is almost impossible unless a student is able to provide the police an item’s serial number. Have your student keep a log of all of his/her valuable property. Include the item description, value, and serial numbers. This information helps the police to track and recover stolen property, and assists with any insurance claims. If a student is unfortunately a victim of theft, remind him or her to be sure to call the police immediately. Some students wait days after the crime occurred to contact police. Immediacy is valuable in a police investigation.
The UW–Madison Police Department is always working to keep your student and his or her property safe. For more information, call the department at 608-264-COPS (2677) or email uwpolice@mhub.uwpd.wisc.edu.