Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 11, 1993 TAG: 9312140280
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By MARA LEE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
``Every break it's the same,'' said Deputy Chief Jonny Butler with the Radford Police Department. ``People don't secure their property and they lose it.''
Year round, safety is a low priority for many students, he said. ``It's very difficult to generate interest on the part of somebody who's never been a victim of a crime.''
And even when students have been robbed, they still don't worry.
Brandon Mears, a brother at the Sigma Nu house on Progress Street in Blacksburg, said the house was broken into a year ago. ``I don't know if it really changed people's awareness of crime,'' he said. ``Our front door is always unlocked and open anyway, because people come and go all the time, all night long.''
Fraternity members do have locks on their room doors, he added. In the 1992 break-in, a VCR and meat from the freezer was taken.
The crimes often are not discovered until students return. ``By then the property has been disposed of, before the theft has been discovered,`` Butler said.
The Blacksburg Police Department offers vacation check cards, a free service, for all holiday travelers. Residents fill out a card, and police inspect their windows, doors and garages regularly while they`re gone. The increased visibility deters thieves, and the inspections help solve crimes sooner, said Sgt. Bruce Bradbery.
Last year 27 percent fewer residents than in December 1991 took advantage of the service. ``That should go up every year,'' Bradbery said. ``That disturbs us when it goes down. You've got a decrease in house checks and you`ve got nearly a 50 percent increase in thefts.
In December 1992, 81 larcenies and 10 break-ins were reported in Blacksburg.
Notify, notify, notify, Bradbery advises - your complex manager, your landlord, your neighbors, as well as the police.
While measures such as closing the drapes and installing timers can be helpful, Butler said Radford police have caught burglars in the daylight hours as well as at night.
So to avoid having your CDs, jewelry and cash fill someone`s five-fingered-discount Christmas stockings, vacationers can reinforce their locked doors and windows by putting nails in the window sashes and broomsticks in sliding doors.
Here are some other ways to protect your property during a holiday absence:
Don't leave strings of lights plugged in.
Get a friend to water live Christmas trees.
Unplug all electronic components not protected from power surges.
Leave thermostat on 50 degrees to prevent pipes freezing.
Even with all these precautions, vacationers still may become victims. The surest way to be safe? Butler advised, ``Either take it with you or have it insured.''
by CNB