There Is No Question:
Spring break is hyped as a time for fun, travel, and new beginnings and for Kirkwood Community College (KCC) students it is March 16 – 20.
During this time, social media sites such as Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter are filled with photos of people going on trips and being away from home for extended periods of time. However, by doing this, people are giving potential criminals a window of opportunity to break into their homes.
Cedar Rapids Police Officer and KCC Resource Officer Landon Einck said that other than Christmastime, spring break has the highest incidents of calls for burglary and other crimes, which are often not discovered until students return home from the holiday.
There are precautions that can be taken to help reduce the chances of break-ins. The easiest of which is not to post dates and notices of being away from home. A simple post such as “See you in seven days Iowa, hello Florida” informs people that the house is empty and the homeowners are too far away to come home quickly.
Sharing photos and small posts while on the trip may seem harmless because most of the people who see the post are on the friends list are people you “know”. However, this sense of security could not be further from the truth. According to www.safeatlast.com, “Statistics show that 65% of burglars are someone that the victim knows.”
Einck commented that the person could have been at a party they attended and there is usually some kind of connection. Einck also suggested to “take any valuables you can with you if possible.” This can cut an individuals loss.
More of Einck’s suggestions include “letting a trusted neighbor or roommate know that you will be gone’’ and “making sure all doors and windows are locked.”
These simple guides are being used by students such as Haley Breeden, Liberal Arts, who said, “I lock every door. If I have some valuables I take them home with me and clean out the fridge and hope for the best.”
Categories: News
